


The Secret of the Doppels

by AnnoyingQuiche



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes
Genre: An attempt at giving Hytopia lore, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempt at Humor, Bickering, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, How Do I Tag, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Hytopia, My First AO3 Post, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, gets more angsty towards the end
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-01-03 04:50:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21173714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnoyingQuiche/pseuds/AnnoyingQuiche
Summary: Link knew the doppels made him uncomfortable, but he could never figure out why. Link did his best to ignore that feeling. Now that Hytopia is at peace and Lady Maud has been defeated, Link knows he should feel relieved, but he feels worried. He feels like he missed something important.





	1. Worry

**Author's Note:**

> As weird as Triforce Heroes is, it should get some more love. Some people may not like this fanfic due to the fact I made it kinda dark and angsty. This Link is the same one from A Link Between Worlds. This is my first fanfic here, so advice and comments would be nice. Now sit back and enjoy my train wreck of a story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link still feels uneasy even though he defeated Lady Maud.

Link knew something was wrong with the doppels when he went to Hytopia. He felt unsettled when he entered the chamber meant to contain them. He had seen many things on his previous adventure, he had traveled through dimensions after all, so why did these..._things_...make him so uneasy?

When that creepy, and most likely insane, court wizard cast the spell to activate the doppels, Link's hair turned an unnatural green. He noted that now he and the doppels matched the Triforce. Red for power, blue for wisdom, and green for courage.

It started out simple enough. Link could remember the first time he went to the Drablands, when he willed his soul into one of the doppels. He had never felt anything so shocking, the closest thing he could describe it as was a feeling that he was floating for a brief moment and then crashing into the ground. The process was very diorenting at first. His hair had went from a bright green to a fiery red. He felt his legs shaking from the strain of moving his soul to a different vessel. He could barely hold the doppel's...his...bow. 

The cold gray skin of the doppels changed when he took one of them over. Their skin became just like his. Link could only imagine that the red doppel shared his face as well. A quick glance at a puddle told him that he was correct. He looked over at what was his old body and saw that it was now a doppel. It had his green hair and green clothing. His heart thumped in his chest. Link was full of worry. _ Can I get back to my own body? Will something happen to it if I leave it alone? _

Link eventually made his way through the Woodlands with the help of the doppels. He kept a close eye on them, but the feeling of unease around the doppels lessened and he learned how hard they were to destroy. No simple explosion, fall, or spell could get rid of them. Link knew they were just vessels to be used by a lone hero, but a thought kept nagging him at the back of his mind: _ How? How can these things hold a soul? What kind of magic was this? And why in the name of Hylia do they have clothes that are exactly like my hero's tunic? _

He ignored those thoughts. He had a job to do after all, even if it was ridiculous. Area after area he made his way through the Drablands. He grew closer to the doppels. Well, as close as someone can get to something that can't really do anything. They had seemed menacing at first, but now they were more like friends. Link knew these things were inanimate objects though. The doppels couldn't feel anything. 

When he finally defeated Lady Maud and put on that bizarre outfit, he broke the curse on Princess Styla. The kingdom hailed him as a hero. He should be happy that he had completed his job. He should feel happy like when he saved Lorule, but he couldn't. Something kept bothering him and it prevented him from leaving the kingdom and going on a new adventure.

_ I don't understand...I defeated the witch and now everything is back to normal...well...as normal as it gets in this kingdom at least. What am I missing? Did I do something wrong? Is there someone left to help? _

He went back to Hytopia Castle to see what he missed. He wanted to find what was eating him from the inside.

The king asked what was troubling him, "What's bothering you, my lad? You saved my daughter! I am incredibly grateful for your help you know! The whole kingdom is!"

Princess Styla asked a similar question, "What's wrong? Clearly something is bother you? Is being a hero not as good as you thought?"

Link assured the princess he was glad to have helped the kingdom. 

"Perhaps you should ask the court wizard. The one who activated the doppels everytime you wanted to travel to the Drablands." 

_ Doppels_. The word itself made Link uncomfortable even though he knew it was irrational; he has made up his mind. He would go see that insane wizard. What other choice did he have?

He entered the doppels' chamber only to find it empty. Even the guards were gone. _ The guards are probably celebrating with the rest of the kingdom instead of protecting the castle. That insane wizard is probably doing the same. _ Link hoped some other dark and evil power wouldn't see this as a good time to attack. He had just finished saving the kingdom. 

The chamber was the same as always. The two lifeless doppels stood still. Link looked at them. He felt so strange when the doppels were involved. They looked so human yet so empty. He couldn't figure out what it was about these Hylia cursed dolls. 

"Eh, the hero? What are you doing here?" A voice asked questioningly.

Link spun around with his hand reaching for his sword until he saw it was the doppel wizard, or doppel master as some called him. 

"No need to get so violent, hero."

"Sorry, you startled me," Link said quietly.

"You look troubled. What is bothering you? You saved the kingdom so what are you missing?" The wizard asked. He approached Link, "Do the doppels bother you? Is that why you are here?"

"I don't know. Something feels...wrong in this kingdom...if you can understand what I mean."

"Are you afraid the Lady will try something?"

"No," he knew the witch wouldn't return. She had been defeated and her strange cursed lifted. Link couldn't understand what was wrong. Everything was as it should be, wasn't it? He had to get his mind off of things, "Can I go to the Drablands again?"

The wizard seemed confused, "What do you hope to find?"

"I need to make sure everything is fine, to make sure nothing was missed or overlooked."

"I shall activate the doppels then," the wizard stepped towards the Triforce Gateway, "I shall await your return."

"I'm sorry to keep you from the celebration," Link apologised. 

"Do not apologise. It is my job to help the hero and watch over the doppels," the wizard stated. 

The process of activating the vessels is what made Link feel unsettled about the wizard. The wizard screamed some words Link didn't understand, it was just as jarring this time as it was the first, and then his hair turned the bright green he had known while adventuring through the Drablands. 

"Now you must go on your own."

Link carried the doppels and set them on their respective part of the Triforce on the gateway. Link stepped in the final triangle and raised his sword. He wanted to go to the Woodlands, more specifically Deku Forest. It was the first area he visited. 

A bright flash later and he and the doppels were where Link had first tried to make his soul enter a doppel. The normally monster filled forest was empty. 

_ Strange_, Link thought, _ where are the monsters? _He also noticed all the items he had used to make his way through this place were gone. They were no longer needed. Link was glad he no longer had to worry about solving all those puzzles again, but Link felt that he was forgetting something. He looked back at the doppels. They were as still and empty as they always were. Link found them to be sad and lonely at times. Was it the doppels that bothered him so much? Now he actually at time to think about it.

He looked closer at the doppels. There was something dark about them Link could sense, but what was it?

_ Am I being irrational? These things can't do anything. I've lost it. _

A light breeze swept through the thick forest. His hair and hat rustled as if they were the leaves on the ground. He stared at the doppels, "What am I doing wrong? What in Hylia's name could I have missed?" Link began to pace around in a circle, "I wish I knew already. I made sure I didn't miss anything in these areas. I can't be missing an item," Link laid down on the grass. It felt like he was back in Hyrule for a brief moment. He let all the thoughts that he had pushed back flow through his mind. 

_ Why did I have to save this kingdom? Shouldn't it have its own heroes? What exactly are the doppels? How come I can move my soul between them? _Link got up and started to pace again when a strange light coming from deep in the forest caught his eye. The object shone for only for a brief moment. Link entered through the thick trees he hadn't gone through before. He had thought there was nothing here. As he was walking something he couldn't see tripped him. Link looked behind him. It was a lever and he had just activated it. 

_ Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no- _

The ground began to shake violently. Link quickly got back up but was instantly knocked back down by the earthquake. He tried to move his soul to one of the doppels. Link focused as hard as he could, but nothing changed. He began to panic. It was never this hard to move to a doppel. What was stopping him? A loud crash echoed through the forest as something emerged from the ground. 

Link watched the monument climb higher and higher. Dirt and dust was pouring from its inside. 

_ I can't believe I missed this! What even is this!? _

Link looked at the once hidden monument will awe. He thought it looked to be about 3 floors high. It resembled a temple. As he approached the structure, Link felt strange. He gasped as he saw his green hair turn back into its normal blond. Now he wouldn't be able to reach the doppels. Link looked back and saw them in the distance. They were barely visible from where he stood. He decided the best thing to do would be to go back and get them. Link walked back to where he had left the doppels. He breathed a sigh of relief as they were unchanged.

_ At least the doppels aren't hurt. _

He dragged them to the monument that had just appeared. It felt like the stone of the doppels was becoming smoother the closer he got to the recently uncovered structure. Link ignored it. He had something bigger to focus on. He stopped with doppels in front of building. Link compared it to a temple. It had an intricate design and great pillars holding it up. Link's curiosity took over and he went inside. 

The main chamber was dusty and still covered in some dirt. Link felt the room wasn't always so empty. As he walked toward the stairs that led to the next floor, the hero noticed the ornate designs covered by dirt and dust. He couldn't make out what they were exactly, but he could tell the images relied on the colors red, blue, and green. 

Link dragged the doppels with him to the next floor. The walls featured more designs covered by dirt and dust; however, this time Link could tell what they were trying to depict. 

_ Is that the Triforce? It is...I thought only Hylians had temples this fancy dedicated to the Triforce. _

In the center of the room Link could clearly see there was an alter meant for sacrifices. There were pieces of metal unevenly sticking out of certain places. He left the doppels behind to take a closer look. The metal was all on the same height and it appeared to be made to hold candles. Link returned to grab the doppels and he made his way up to the final level of the monument. 

It was smaller than the last two rooms and had a tall, pointed ceiling. The thing that stood out the most was a magical barrier surrounding a pedestal. Something was clearly on it. Link let go of the doppels and picked up a small pebble on the ground that must have come from all the dirt the temple was trapped under. He gently threw it and it passed through the barrier and out the other side with no harm. It landed inside the barrier. Link walked around it and tried to see what was on the pedestal. The barrier obscured his vision so the item on the pedestal couldn't be seen. 

Link knew this was a bad idea, but he couldn't think of anything else. He took his hand and pushed it through the barrier. He waited for something to happen, but nothing did. A wave of relief crashed over him as he pulled his hand out and then stepped inside the barrier. Displayed on the pedestal was a wand. It was about as long as the water rod he had used making his way through Riverside. It had a sparkling jewel that rested on a crown-like holder. Link picked it up. As soon as he had grabbed it, the barrier around it had collapsed. He looked through the large, pale, finely cut jewel. 

He saw something strange. Everything had a lavender tint to it but that wasn't what was strange. The doppels were covered in dark glowing marks that traveled around their stone skin and tunics, but those strange lines seemed to be slowly decreasing in number and thickness. Link looked at the doppels normally and saw that he couldn't see those strange mark. He pointed the want at his arm and looked through it. He didn't have any of those strange marks. 

"...c......a.........n...y.......o.....u......h.....e.....a...r...." 

Link drew his sword. A dismembered voice spoke. He couldn't tell from where. Link looked around, "I can hear you..." he said cautiously. Link entered a fighting stance in case whatever spoke was dangerous. 

"......h......e.......l........p....." a different dismembered voice spoke. It seemed desperate. 

Link looked around again. He felt like the sound was coming in the direction of the doppels. He slowly got closer. 

"....w....e....t.....r......a....p........h.....e.....r....e....." 

"You're trapped? And 'we'? Is there more than one of you trapped?"

".....y.....e.......s..."

Link's widened that sound wasn't coming from the direction of the doppels. It was coming from the doppels themselves. Link was ready to collapse. Had he been possessing _ people _? Conscious people who could only watch what happened around them with no way to communicate? Is this what made the doppels?

"...t...e...m......p...l....e......l...e.....s...s.....m...a......g...i...c..." the first voice spoke. The words began to sound more coherent. 

"The temple negates magic." Link realized. _ So that's why I couldn't reach the doppels, but why don't they turn back? _

"...s...p...e...l...l......t...o...o......s...t...r...o...n...g..." the first voice said.

"...s...t...i...l...l......t...r....a...p...." the second voice added on.

Link looked at the doppels through the jewel of the wand he had found. The dark marks had decreased and were traveling slower. Link still felt nervous. _ What if the things trapped inside the doppels are demons? What if there is a good reason to why those people are trapped? Did that wizard know THIS about the doppels? _

As cautious as Link tried to be, his kindness won. He couldn't stand the thought of someone being trapped and doing nothing to help. He pointed the wand at the doppels. The jewel began to glow brighter and brighter until it was blinding. Link shut his eyes tightly. He heard two thumps and then the light died down. What was once the two doppels, were now two people. They still had the same tunics as before except they had blond hair and looked exactly like Link, who was incredibly confused. The two looked unconscious. 

Link approached them slowly. He could see their chests rising and falling. _ Thank Hylia they're both alive. _ Link didn't want to risk carrying them elsewhere as they would be a lot more fragile in this state. Link moved them gently away from the stairs and into a corner of the room so there would be no risk of one of them falling. Link sat against the wall waiting for the two to wake up. 

_ How did they end up as doppels? Why is this temple capable of nullifying magic? How many times did they try to call for help? _Thoughts ran through Link's head. He couldn't take it and wanted answers. Had he known the doppels were conscious people, he would have tried his hardest to never possess either of them and do his best to undo whatever caused this. Link wasn't sure how long he had wait for the two, which he nicknamed Red and Blue respectively, to wake up. Red started to move more and startled Link when he gasped loudly for breath. 

Red backed in a corner opposite of Link. He looked like he could barely stand and was still breathing heavy. 

"Don't..." Red tried to speak.

Link slowly approached the scared kid, who couldn't have been older than him, "It's alright. You're safe," Link tried to comfort the frightened boy.

Red tried to back into the corner even more. 

Link stepped back and noticed Red was nervously eyeing the wand Link was holding. _ Was this what turned him into a doppel? _ Link pointed to the wand he held, "Is this the wand that...you know..." he took Red trying to get even farther away as a yes. _ How could someone do that to a child? _Link raised the wand, which caused Red to let out a scared whimper, and shattered it against the floor. The wand's pieces didn't fly anywhere; instead, all of its pieces turned to smoke as soon as the weapon broke. The smoke dispersed into nothingness. 


	2. Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link tries to calm down Red.

Link looked back to Red, who was shaking in the corner. His hands were covering his head and he was curled up into a ball. Link approached Red again and sat next to him. _He's probably been through a lot, _"Is everything alright?" Link asked, trying to comfort him. He could hear Red sniffling until he burst into tears with violent sobbing. 

Tears ran down his face like two rivers. He look like he wasn't sure what else he could do.

Link wasn't sure what to say to comfort Red, "You're safe. Everything's back to normal."

Red wiped some of his tears, but they didn't stop flowing. He looked like he didn't know what to say. 

Link thought of what could comfort the scared kid, "Can I do anything to help you?"

"...N-no..." Red responded in a low voice. 

The two sat in silence for a while. Red began to stop crying. He sat in the corner rolled up into a tight ball still sniffling and shaking. 

Link stood up and looked back at Red who looked lost and scared, "Want to go check on Blue?" Link asked. He extended his hand to Red in order to help him stand up. 

"...Blue?" Red looked confused for a moment, "...You mean Sky?" Red replied in a low and shaking voice. He looked toward Blue see laying on the floor of the temple and then took Link's hand. 

Link helped Red up, his legs were still weak and he had to lean against Link for support in order to walk across the room. Link slowly helped Red to sit down next to Sky, who was still breathing. Red's legs were shaking and he was panting from the energy walking across the room had cost him. He looked relieved to see Sky was alright. 

"So," Link began,"What's your name?" he sat down next to to Red.

"I'm-" Red panted, "-Rinku," he was so exhausted that saying his own name was a challenge, "How-" Red began to cough.

"It's fine you don't have to talk if it hurts you," Link assured him, "I'm Link."

"Are you the person that possessed us?," Rinku said quietly as to not strain himself. 

"I'm sorry-" Link began to apologise,"I didn't know you were-" 

"You didn't?" Rinku interjected. He looked back at Sky. 

Link thought he saw tears welling up in Rinku's eyes. Link could do nothing but try to comfort him. He wrapped his arms around Rinku in a hug.

Rinku was confused at how respond at first, as he hadn't felt warmth in a long time. He tightly wrapped his arm around Link and started to cry again. Link wasn't sure how long Rinku cried, but it was certainly a while. 

_What kind of person could make someone cry like that? Was it Lady Maud? _Link thought, _No, she's too incompetent and only cares for petty crimes. She only has that weird fashion magic. It can change clothes, but it definitely can't turn skin into stone. If her magic could do that, she would have used it against me when I was battling her. _

Red eventually stopped crying_, _but he still clung to Link like a scared child, "What are we going to do? I can't go back..." he said in a quiet whisper. His voice cracked, "Sky can't go back-"

Link hadn't thought about where he could take them. The thought hit him like a moblin. He couldn't take them back to Hytopia. He couldn't risk them being turned back into doppels. _Hyrule is the only option then. _The Princess Zelda was a kind and understanding person. She could definitely help, "Hyrule," Link interrupted. 

Rinku let go and slumped against the wall, "Hyrule?" he looked like he had many concerns.

"Where else is there? There are plenty of people who will help you in Hyrule. I'm sure Princess-"

"We can't just go up to a princess!" Rinku said shocked.

Link smiled, "Princess Zelda will see almost anyone. Especially if it's an emergency," Link explained, "Let's just say I have friends in the castle."

"We really don't have another choice...do we?" Rinku said. 

The two sat in silence for a few moments, until Sky began to stir. His eyes opened slowly and then, without warning, he shot up and let out a loud gasp for breath. In his panic, very similar to how Rinku reacted, he pressed himself into a corner opposite from Link. Sky was gasping intensely for breath.

"Sky!" Rinku blurted with excitement and smiled, but because he strained his voice, Rinku started to cough again. 

Link stood and approached Sky, who couldn't stand, "Everything will be fine," Link tried to explain. 

"You-" Sky shouted. He gasped for breath as soon as the word left his mouth, "aren't-" he gasped, "going-" he started to cough violently, far more violently than Rinku did. 

"You'll hurt yourself if you keep yelling like that. Please stop," Link tried to explain. 

Sky clearly wanted to respond, but his coughing for made it impossible for him to do so.

Link sat down next to him and waited for him to stop coughing, "I promise you're safe here," Link tried to explain again. 

Sky still coughed, but the seriousness of his cough was lessening. 

"I know you're scared and concerned, but we'll all sort everything out," Link tried to rest his hand on Sky's shoulder.

Sky, whose coughing had almost stopped noticed this and pressed himself further into the corner of the room. 

Link took this as sign Sky still didn't trust him and that Sky did not want to be touched. He put his hand back down and tried to reassure him in another way, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Sky finally stopped coughing, "Leave," he said quietly.

Link seemed surprised by that answer, "I can't leave you. You can't even-"

"I can do what I want," Sky replied in hoarse voice.

"Please just let me help-" 

"I don't want your help," Sky looked angry and insulted, "You possess me and-" he looked over to see that Rinku was doing fine and was staring at him, "-my friend and then we have to go out and fight monsters? All because of you," his voice got louder, "How can you be so insulting you little-" Sky started to violently cough again. 

Link knew he couldn't reason with Sky in this state. Especially when the kid was so angry and scared. Link had the idea that if the two were next to each other then Sky would calm down faster. Link didn't want to strain either of them further, so he managed picked Sky up, despite how much the boy in blue struggled. Sky could barely move and he was still coughing; he was in no condition to fight Link. Link held Sky in his arms like a baby tightly, _he's just as heavy as he was as a doppel, _Link thought, _I really hope Rinku can help. _Link carried Sky over and did his best to gently put him next to Rinku. He had to make sure Sky wouldn't accidently hurt himself. 

Rinku did his best to approach Sky. He looked like he wanted to comfort him. He waited for Sky to stop coughing. 

Link took a few steps back. He understood why they couldn't trust him. He would have probably done something similar if he were in the same situation as them. _I wish I could do more to help. I wonder how much they remember from their time as doppels. _

"Sky..." Rinku's eyes welled with tears of joy. He wrapped his arms around Sky tightly. 

"At least you're safe," Sky responded quietly, he seemed calmer and more at ease around Rinku. As calm as he seemed for a few moments, he glared at Link, "If you try anything with my brother-"

_They're siblings? No wonder they look so alike,_ Link wondered, _are they twins? Then why do they look like me? I know for a fact I have no siblings! My parents would have certainly told someone before they died._

"-then I'll make you pay," Sky tried to sound threatening, but he had to speak in a low and soft voice so he wouldn't start another coughing fit. 

Link was at a loss for words. Sky would never believe him and had every right to be enraged, "I know you don't trust me-"

"Clearly," Sky's grip tightened around Rinku.

"And I know you won't believe me but, I want to help both of you. Just let me-"

"NO!" Sky shouted firmly. He started to cough again. Sky pushed Rinku away and coughed even more.

Link was startled. He stepped back even further, _I'm sure he just needs some time, _Link told himself. 

"Stop it, Sky. You know you'll hurt yourself," Rinku told him quietly, his voice full of worry for his brother.

Rinku and Link couldn't do much while they waited for Sky to stop coughing. Link noticed that Rinku tried to move closer to Sky, but he kept being pushed away. The guilty feeling inside Link grew, _I can't believe I did this. I caused them pain. I wish I had questioned it more...I was so stupid. Two human like magic objects that can fit a soul? I should have asked more questions. How didn't I realize- _

"I'm fine, Rinku," Sky had stopped coughing while Link was deep in thought and guilt. 

"We have to rest," Rinku tried to explain, "We can't just leave. We're both too weak. You know that."

"We have to," Sky said softly, "We can't stay with _him_-" Sky gestured to Link.

"I can hear you. You do know that, right?" Link joined the conversation. 

"Then know you can't tell us what to," Sky looked smug saying that.

Link tried to step forward, but Sky flinched at his movement, "I'm sorry-"

"Sorry? For turning us into those weird dolls and possessing us for who knows how long? Yeah, right. I don't buy it," if Sky was able to, he would have attacked Link. Sky thought for moment and then this eyes widened, "How longer were we trapped?" he ask in a shaking voice. 

"I don't know," Link wasn't sure how to respond, "Hytopia's two hundredth anniversary of founding was a few weeks ago if that helps," Link wasn't in the kingdom at the time to see the giant party.

"Two...Two hundredth?" The color drained out of Sky's face, "Trapped for fifty years...half a century...gone," Sky was struggling to process that information.

Rinku looked about ready to cry again. He looked at Link, "That means it wasn't..that it couldn't have been you..."

"What?" Sky responded exasperated. 

"Does he really look over fifty years old?" Rinku asked Sky.

"He might be some immortal demon then," Sky tried to reason. 

"Well, if he was a demon, then how could he have gotten the Jeweled Rod?"

Sky didn't have a counter argument to Rinku's claim, "He has the Jeweled Rod? We have to go-" panic could be heard in his voice.

"It's gone," Rinku told Sky.

"Gone?" Sky looked back at Link, "What did you-"

"If you're referring to the wand that turned you back into humans, then yes, its gone. I shattered it," Link explained. 

Sky looked confused, "Why?"

"Because it was a terrible weapon that shouldn't be used," Link looked back at the pedestal, "Did you make it?"

"I don't have to answer your questions," Sky told Link.

Link approached Sky, who let out a small whimper, and sat down next to him. Link reached for his sword. 

The two looked panicked. 

"Here," Link said, "Take it," it pulled out his sword and dropped it in front of Sky, "Now I'm unarmed."

Sky couldn't understand, "What sort of mind games are you playing?"

"None, I just want you to feel safe. I want to help. Please just let me-"

"Fine," Sky interjected, "Just know I still don't trust you," Sky tried to pick up the sword but he was still too weak.

"I'm Link. I hope we can get along."

"We'll see about that."

"About Hyrule..." Rinku spoke up.

"What about it?" Link asked.

"How do we get there?" Rinku asked. 

"The same way I got to Hytopia. There are a series of roads with plenty of stops outside of Hytopia's castle town. We just have to find out how to sneak you both out."

"Hyrule?" Sky asked.

"You can't go back to Hytopia. You might get turned back into a doppel," Link explained.

The two looked pained at hearing the word "doppel". Link made a mental note to never use that word in front of them again. 

Sky wanted to argue against Link, but he looked lost for words, "We really don't have a choice," he glared at Link.

"I'm sorry."

"Of course you are. Why did you possess us then?"

"I didn't know, honest. If I had known-"

"Sure," Sky rolled his eyes. 

The group sat in silence for a long time. Link was lost in thought. He wanted to help. How could he not? He just needed a plan. _Maybe they have ideas, _but when Link turned to ask Sky and Rinku the two were both asleep leaning against each other. Link was glad they weren't alone. He stood up and stretched, _I should probably get them some water. _Link walked towards the steps that would take him out of the temple. He looked back at the two. They were both still sleeping. 

Link climbed down the stairs and saw nothing but darkness outside the temple. _It's definitely nighttime. _It was silent. Link heard nothing but a stream flowing in the distance. He looked around for something he could use as a cup. The only things he could find were unusually large candle holder he hadn't noticed before. He rinsed them out in the stream and filled them all with water.

Link hadn't seen this stream before, but he could tell it lead to a river elsewhere in the thick, dark forest. He made many trips to bring the weird, water-filled candle holders to the highest floor of the temple. Link, tired of climbing stairs, sat back down next to Sky and Rinku. He had gone days, maybe weeks, without sleep, food, or water. Link had always assumed it was his piece of the Triforce that kept him alive during those times. He would have to rely on it again and pray to Hylia the two wouldn't die of malnutrition. 

Link leaned against the wall, making sure to stay a distance away from Sky and Rinku, and began to think of a plan to bring them to Hyrule. 


	3. Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link needs a plan to get out of Hytopia along with Sky and Rinku. Luckly, this temple has helpful secret.

_Could they hide in crates? _Link looked back at the sleeping pair. _How do I even get them back to Hytopia without being seen? _Link had being thinking for hours trying to come up with a plan to get Sky and Rinku back to Hytopia. The most important part was getting out of the doppel chamber. Everything depended on that. _The wizard is the problem here. He hardly leaves that chamber...unless...what if I get the princess or king to call him out to the festival? Then he won't be inside the chamber, but how do I even get back without drawing attention to us. The doppels are gone and they're humans now. What am I going to do? If only I had the Triforce of Wisdom like...Zelda. If I could ask her for help then maybe she could help come up with a plan...but I can't even contact her here. _

Link sighed. He stood up and being to pace around the room. _Navigating through the Lost Woods was easier than coming up with a plan!_ He had consider walking back to Hytopia, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He had no clue what direction Hytopia was in and no clue how far he would have to travel. He could only assume it was a long distance away. Even if he was by himself, Link doubted that he could make that trip. _I should just ask those two when they wake up. They were both in Hytopia for a longer time than me. _Link looked back at Sky and Rinku who were both still asleep. 

Link couldn't stand being inside a temple for so long. He had maybe spent a few hours in one at maximum while trying to save Hyrule and Lorule. If anything, this temple reminded him of the Dark Palace he had adventured through in Lorule. Both structures were dark and dusty and definitely had some creepy magic around them. At least Link could see where things were in this temple though. Tripping down the stairs of a dark and creepy palace was not his finest moment; he really hoped no one noticed that. Link shook his head. He needed some fresh air. Link felt like the walls were closing in on him. He knew they weren't; he had checked the walls to make sure, but it was an awful feeling. _I wish I could turn into a painting again. At least then I would be able to hide more easily. No one ever notices a painting until it pops out of the wall to stab someone._ Link knew that from personal experience. 

He couldn't take being inside the room any longer. He glanced at the two, they were still sleeping, and he made his way down to the first floor of the temple. Link rushed outside. The temple air felt stale and dry compared to the cool morning air; Link welcomed the light breeze. The sun was rising and birds were chirping. Link looked back at the temple. None of its floors had any windows so it was a miracle that he could see at all while he was inside. Now that he was outside, he took a closer look at the temple. All of the floors were held up by pillars on the outside of the temple. He approached a temple wall and noticed something he had overlooked. There were odd lumps of dirt surrounding the base of the wall. Link pushed some of the dirt aside and found smooth metal. He pushed more dirt aside until he realized what it was. 

_Gears. This is what must have made the temple come out of the ground. _Link thought he should ask Sky and Rinku about this. As much as he wanted to stay outside, the sun was almost above the horizon. _Times moves too fast. _He went back inside the temple and climbed up the stairs to the top floor. As he was approaching the top floor he heard Sky talking. 

"He's gone! See I knew we shouldn't have-"

Before Sky could finish that statement, Link came up the stairs, "Good morning to you too, Sky."

Sky looked unhappy to say the least. He eyed Link's sword, which was still in front of him. 

"Do you really think I would just leave?" Link asked Sky, "None of us can go anywhere unless all three of us cooperate. We _all_ have to activate the Triforce Gateway."

"You need three people to activated now?" Rinku asked.

"I thought you only needed two," Blue added in. 

"Times change," Link concluded. He realized now would be a good time to ask about the gears, "Did you know this temple has gears?"

"Yeah," Sky scoffed, "we were there when it was built, dumba-"

"You were there?" _I guess this temple isn't as old as I thought._

"This place is suppose to have a Triforce Gateway," Rinku added. 

"Where does that gateway lead," Link asked. It was a very slim chance, but maybe it didn't lead to the doppel chamber. 

"Back to where all of the gateways lead," Rinku explained with disappointment.

"Oh..." Link said full of disappointment, "They all lead to Hytopia Castle then. Right into the...uhh..." Link didn't know how to phrase it.

"Yeah, right into our old prison," Sky said, his voice full of malice. 

Link thought for a moment, "Any ideas?" he asked the two of them.

"For what?" Sky snapped, "I won't give a face stealer ideas-"

"What?" Link was extremely confused, "There is no magic that can steal faces. Maybe transform, but not to steal. That's impossible."

"Then why do you look like us?" Sky asked aggressively.

"He makes a good point," Rinku wondered, "Why do you look like us, was it because the magic on us rubbed off onto you?"

"I was born like this," Link pointed to himself, "I looked this way when I came to Hytopia. The only thing that changed when I was using the spell was my hair color, but since that spell is no longer in effect my hair is back to its original color. Your hair used to be blue and red you know."

Sky looked like he didn't have a rebuttal.

"This temple weakens or completely nullifies magic," Red explained, "Though it depends on the strength of the spell. Your hair probably turned back to normal because the spell on you wasn't that strong."

"So that's why you didn't turn back when you got close to the temple. It's because that spell was too strong," Link thought back to looking through that jewel and seeing all the dark marks on the doppels' skin. He shuddered at the thought. That spell must have been terrifyingly dark as well.

"Do you know what happened before...your transformation?" Link asked cautiously.

Sky crossed his arms, showing Link he was regaining some of his strength. He didn't want to answer that question.

Rinku thought for a moment, "We were here."

Link listened closely.

"But I don't remember anything after that. I just woke up and couldn't move," his voice started to break, "And then-" it looked like tears were welling up in eyes just thinking about the memory. 

"You don't have to finish that story," Link rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. _I shouldn't have asked such a sensitive question._

"Why did you come to Hytopia?" Sky asked Link.

"I was adventuring," Link answered. 

"Why did you have to possess us then?"

"Only groups of three are allowed in the Drablands."

Sky narrowed his eyes, "Why did you go to the Drablands in the first place?"

"I had to find a witch."

"For what?" Sky eyed Link suspiciously. 

"She cursed the princess of Hytopia," Link explained.

"Oh, so you're a little hero then?" Sky said mockingly, "What are you? A replacement?" Sky sounded defensive. 

"I just wanted to help, honest," Link tried to tell Sky.

"What did you get? Rupees, fairies...weapons?" Sky looked at Link's sword and then towards the pedestal.

"I got rupees because I went adventuring and sold some of the materials I found. I needed rupees to buy certain materials."

Sky looked dissatisfied with that answer, "Of course, so everyone's greedy except you?"

"How did you get that from 'I need rupees to buy materials'?" Link wondered.

Sky looked annoyed. 

"I know you have questions, I do too, but we need to come up with a plan right now," Link realized he had forgotten that they might need water, "Do either of you need some water? He gestured to the candle holders, "There wasn't any other container I could use," he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Why would I trust your water? You probably poisoned it!" Sky accused Link. 

"Can I have some water?" Rinku said quietly.

"Sure," Link walked over to go get some.

"It could be poisoned!" Sky tried to convince his brother.

"Really? You just want to be upset for the sake of being upset at this point. Do you really think Link is going to try and poison us?" 

"He could be fooling us-"

"Then why didn't he kill us when he had the chance? We were both weak and unconscious. We could barely move and he helped us. Does that sound like what someone would do if they wanted to kill us?"

"He possessed-"

"He told us he didn't know about us. Sure it's a bad excuse, but we have to take it as the truth."

Link really didn't want to interrupt this argument, so he just stood there awkwardly and at a loss for words, "Rinku," Link tried to get his attention. 

Rinku turned whipped his head around to look at Link. His long, pointed hat whipped Sky in the face. 

"Excuse you!" Sky said annoyed. 

Link had to stifle a laugh, "Here," he handed Rinku the candle holder full of water, "You should drink slow-"

Rinku chugged the entire thing in one gulp. 

"Rinku!" Sky exclaimed, "Do you realize how stupid that was?!"

Rinku cleared his throat, "I'm not dying. The water is just fine."

Sky looked at the empty candle holder and sighed. He leaned against the wall and pushed himself up. His legs were shaking from the effort, "I'll go get some water then."

Rinku look on with a nervous look on his face, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Link was ready to help support Sky when he would inevitably fall.

Sky took a few steps forward, shaking, before his legs gave out.

Link caught him before he hit the floor.

"Do you realize how stupid that was?" Rinku asked Sky. 

"I'm fine," Sky said through panting. His face was very pale. 

Link helped Sky back to his feet, "Please, just let me-"

"I'm fine," Sky repeated while panting, "I don't need or want your help," Sky tried to take another step forward, but his legs gave out again and he was forced to lean against Link for support.

Link sighed and helped hold Sky upright. He walked sir "I'm Fine and Don't Need Help Because I'm So Cool" to where the candle holders filled with water were located. Link picked one up and handed it to Sky.

Sky took the candle holder with a shaking arm and look at the water questioningly. Sky took a few slow slips before drinking the rest quickly. Sky looked almost ready to collapse. He looked even paler.

_Oh Hylia, here we go again, _Link thought. He pick up Sky and held him like a baby again. Sky put up more resistance this time, but he still couldn't escape Link's grasp. He did let out a string of profanities though until he was set down next to Rinku, who looked very tired of his brother's shenanigans. 

"We still need ideas of how to sneak you both out of Hytopia," Link still wasn't sure what do do. 

"We could try the royal family's escape route under the castle," Rinku suggestd, "No one but the royal family knows they exist. It's a closely guarded secret."

"Are you sure it's only the royal family? If you know, then someone else could." Link couldn't have anyone finding them trying to escape.

"I can't think of anything else."

"How long does it take to get there?" Link knew they wouldn't be able to handle a long trip.

"One entrance should be connected to this temple."

Link wondered, _How does Rinku know about that? He may have been around when this temple was built, but that doesn't explain knowing about the royal family's secret passage. Why does this place even have a secret passage in the first place? _Link couldn't be bothered about those questions right now, _I guess we all have secrets._

"Rinku! You can't just go around giving Hytopian secrets to foreigners!" Sky yelled angrily. 

"What else can we do? No one has any better ideas," Rinku countered.

Sky hated that his brother was right.

Rinku continued, "We have to make sure there is no chance of someone using it though."

"That's not a problem," Link told Rinku, "There is a massive celebration in Hytopia right now. Everyone is too focused on that to care about someone in the tunnels. Even the castle guards weren't in their posts."

"Seriously?" Sky sounded disappointed, "No wonder we need outside help with such unreliable guards."

"Where does the passage lead to?" Link didn't want it to lead to a place that would be too obvious. 

"One path lead to the monarch's room, another leads to the prince or princess chamber, one leads here, and one leads outside Castle Town," Red explained, "This temple was buried for a while. That means that the path leading to it was blocked. Now that's above ground, we can use the passage. No one would think to come here after this place has been buried for so long." 

"How long is the passage? You two are too weak to walk far."

Rinku wasn't sure what to stay, "It would take three to four hours to normally walk from here to outside castle town using the secret passage. It will most likely take us three times as long."

"That's better than going through the forest," Link compared, "I guess we'll just have to push forward and just accept it will take a long time."

"I can't argue with that," Sky sighed. 

"So," Link wanted to make sure they all understood the plan, "we first take the secret passage to get outside of Castle Town."

Rinku nodded.

"And then, we make our way across the land to arrive at Hyrule," Link confirmed.

"Easier said than done," Rinku added.

"I still don't see why we can't go back to Hytopia," Sky wondered.

"Three people who look exactly the same? Two of those people were imprisoned in the castle? Why don't you just go up to the king and say you're a wanted criminal?" Rinku said with a bitter tone to Sky, "Time moved on without us! Things changed! I want to go back to Hytopia just as much as you, but if we go back then there's a risk we'll get trapped in those dolls again. Someone turned us into those strange dolls and I'm sure they'll do it again and we can't risk-"

"I get it," Sky said, defeated, "I see your point."

Link felt empathy for the two. He couldn't imagine never going back to his home, even if he was an adventurer and Hyrule's hero. He still got homesick sometimes. Even if Hytopia had more to explore than Hyrule alone, he couldn't compare exploring the unfamiliar kingdom to his home. 

The group waited in silence for a few moments until Rinku spoke, "We better get going. The sooner we start the sooner we'll be out of here."

"It's daytime right now," Link added, "If we get to Hytopia during nightfall, we can sneak out more easily," he thought back to time he snuck through guards in order to enter the Dark Palace in Lorule. 

"As much as I hate to say it," Sky lowered his head, "you're...right."

"Then let me help you both down the stairs," Link certainly didn't want them to fall down multiple sets of stairs. That would make things a lot worse. 

After slowly getting Rinku down to the first floor with little trouble, Link went back to the top floor to get Sky, who didn't want Link's help, but knew he needed it. Besides a few rude and smug remarks towards Link, they got down to the first floor with no problems. Link set him down next to Rinku. _I feel like I'm forgetting something........mY HYLIA CURSED SWORD! How could I have forgotten that?! _

"What are you waiting for you dusty rag?" Sky was impatient.

"My sword...I need it."

"Not a chance."

"Do you realize what could happen if any of us get caught? Neither of you can defend yourselves and I can't fist fight to save my life. As much as I want you to trust me and feel safe, I need to get my sword," _It's one of the only things I brought from Hyrule. I can't just leave it here. My mentor made it for me before I left home. _

"You'll just turn on us!" Sky accused. 

Link decided this topic wasn't up for debate, "I'm sorry if that's how you feel," Link began to make his way up the stairs. He could hear Sky yelling, well, as loud as a person can get after being trapped in stone for half a century can yell. He found his sword, sitting right where he left it. Link grabbed its handle and put the sword back in its sheath. _Right where it belongs. __I never realized how nervous I get without a sword. I shouldn't keep those two waiting. _Link could only imagine the headache Sky would give him for this. 

When Link climb back down the stairs, Sky was eyeing him with discomfort. The blue ball of nerves shifted uncomfortably. 

"Now where is the passage?" Link asked. 

"There should be a trapdoor with a Triforce symbol on it," Rinku answered.

There was one question that was bothering Link, "How does Hytopia know about the Triforce? Have Hylians been to the kingdom before?" Link looked closer at Sky and Rinku and noticed something he hadn't before. They both had pointed ears just like his own. They were Hylians. _Hylians have been here before. Sky and Rinku were living proof. Other Hylians must have spread the legend of the Triforce here in that case._

Rinku shrugged, "The Triforce is an old legend, I'm sure you know that. It probably appeared in Hyrule before Hytopia was even a kingdom. Hylians came here looking for new lands and spread their legends here. Hyrule is a long trip from Hytopia; so not many Hylians visit. Does that answer your question?"

"It does." 

"Why are you so curious about Hytopia?" Sky asked after a period of silence.

"It's different kingdom. It's so different from Hyrule. How can I not be curious?" Link answered, "Now where is that trapdoor?"

"Check there," Rinku pointed to a corner across the entrance of the temple.

Link approached the corner carefully and wiped the dirt and grime away. He found the trapdoor Rinku had described. It was made of a luminous metal and had and indent which Link assumed to be how to open it. The Triforce symbol was still visible even if it was faint. Time had certainly taken its toll on this place. Link grabbed it and opened the trapdoor only to find a dull, orange button under it. He lowered his hand on top of the button and pressed it. Link waited, but nothing happened. _It better not be broken._

When the ground started to shake a few seconds later, Link took it as a sign that it was still in working condition. He could hear the gears turning under him. A large hole opened up in the middle of the temple floor and it began to expand. After the shaking was over, Link looked down the hole to see that it had electric powered lights and it had a path that sloped down gently. 

"Never seen a secret passage before?" Sky asked, when he notice the awe on Link's face.

"I've seen plenty. The ones I've seen were just more discreet and less flashy," Link thought of Skull Woods in Lorule and all of its secret entrances. He went over to Sky and Rinku, who used the wall to help them stand. Rinku was able to stand with more ease than Sky due to the fact he had strained himself less. The two leaned against Link and began their journey back to Hytopia. 


	4. Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link, Rinku, and Sky need to all travel through the secret passage to get back to Hytopia.

The three descended into the nearly forgotten underground passage. The electric lighting that kept the tunnel from complete darkness surprised Link. There was nothing like this back in Hyrule or that he could remember seeing in Lorule. _How many times was this passage used? How could something like this even be built? It's so long...Zelda would probably call this impractical if she could see it. If I get back to Hyrule, she's going to hear one unbelievable story. _

Link tried to keep his mind off of the fact that if they were found, they would all be punished and his "friends", for lack of a better word, would be turned back into doppels. He doubted he could live with himself if something like that happened, even if they just met. Every step forward had carried a great risk alongside it. Link didn't want to think about that and tried to reassure himself that everything would be fine. The two kids leaning against him for support would make it to Hyrule. He worried about the unwanted attention they might attract because of a striking resemblance to Hyrule's hero; then again, that was a better outcome than potential of becoming one of those creepy stone dolls for the second time. 

The three walked in silence. None of them had anything to say to the others. They all just wanted to get out of this passage as soon as they could. There was nothing else to say about it other than a few complaints about thirst and hunger. After Hylia knows how long of a timespan, Link began to struggle to support Sky and Rinku. He began to feel like his legs were made of sand. _I shouldn't have climbed up and down those stairs so many times. _He broke the silence, "I need to sit down-" 

Sky and Rinku let out a sound of shock when Link almost fell. The green clad boy caught himself before he fell to the ground.

Sky thought it was strange that their oppressor to show such obvious signs of weakness. 

Rinku was worried that Link had accidently hurt himself. 

Both had very different concerns.

Link steadied himself and rest the two boys against the wall of the passage before he let his legs fail. He fell to the ground with a _thump_; Link was trying to mask how he was breathing heavily from the effort of supporting the two for so long. He could feel his sword's hard, cold, metallic sheath digging into his back, but he was too exhausted to care. 

"Serves you right for taking your sword," Sky mumbled under his breath.

Link pretended not to hear the blue ball of nerves' remark. His eyelids started to droop; he felt his legs go numb. 

"Don't be so rude," Rinku whispered to Sky, "We should rest," Rinku said louder, "We all need-"

"You mean the green rag needs rest," Sky cut Rinku off. 

"Says someone who can't walk alone," Rinku quipped. 

Link knew the pair were talking, arguing like they usually did, but he couldn't focus on what they were saying. He felt exhausted; it felt like he was being wrapped in a warm blanket. _I guess it wouldn't hurt to close my eyes for a minute......_Darkness had surrounded Hyrule's hero before he knew it.

_When did it get so cold? _It was freezing. Link couldn't stop shivering. He had never felt so cold. The Ice Ruins of Lorule and Hytopia's own Ice Cavern were _nothing_ compared to this. Link curled up into a tight ball, trying to save what little warmth he had left. The hero thought of many ways he could have died, but hypothermia wasn't the one he was the most worried about. _Why is it so cold? It's never this cold? Where are Sky and Rinku? If I feel like I'm freezing, then they could already be-_

A monstrous roar shook the ground. _What in Hylia's name was that? Those two better be in a safe place..._Link hadn't looked at his new surroundings; he was too busy focusing on trying to keep himself alive. Everything was a blur. Nothing was clearly visible. He tried to focus on something, anything, to have even the slightest clue of what was going on. Link couldn't stay in one place in a state like this. He had to try to find something or someone that might help him. The cold hero only hoped that he wouldn't encounter the beast that made the ground shake with its roar. Before Link could attempt to stand, the unknown creature roared again. The ground felt like it would break once more. 

He needed to know where he was. He tried to focus on the blur that was his surroundings again. This time, Link could see he was on a finely cut stone path lined with what seemed to be random pikes, cloths, and materials. Some sections of the mess around the path seemed to be charred and stained with a dark liquid. Link was hit with the terrible realization of what was going on. This was the fate he feared Lorule and Hyrule would fall to. Even if he knew both kingdoms were safe, the thought would unexpectedly plague him, but these ruins weren't ones that belong to Hyrule or Lorule. The building style didn't match either of the two kingdoms he had traveled through. 

Link's heart pounded in his chest; it felt like it might burst out at any moment. _I can't afford to wait anymore. _He forced himself up, even if the cold sensation got worse. The only pain he could compare it to was being stabbed by Yuga's trident after he had betrayed Princess Hilda and absorbed her power. Thank the goddesses Link had a fairy with him and the attack didn't hit him straight in the heart. How different the fates of the two worlds would be if something had gone only slightly different. Link shook his head at the thought. He couldn't think about the past at a time like this. Even if he was afraid, he had the Triforce of Courage; it was his job to stay strong for everyone, wasn't it? Didn't he owe _everyone_ that? He didn't have time for his pain. There could be people trapped under the rubble due to the carnage. Every step pained him, but there were lives other than his own at stake in this situation.

Link hadn't gotten very far when the ground began to shake again. It shook to a rhythmic beat, one Link could only describe as stomping. It was getting closer and closer. Stronger and stronger. The shaking of the earth caused Link to lose what little balance he gathered. He fell to the unusually cold ground. He tried to force himself up. _I can't just sit here! _A shadow loomed over him after he had steadied himself. 

When Link looked up, he was faced with what had made that monstrous roar that made the earth feel as though it would crack. This..._thing..._was an abomination. It was a beast, through and through. It made the Yuga and Ganon amalgam he had faced look almost pure and innocent! The beast Link saw before him standing in Hytopia's ruins was one he knew was too dark to be a normal, natural occurring demon. His heart beat faster, and he could have sworn it was getting louder. Link was almost certain this thing could feel his fear. He, she, they...no...the thing before Link was an _it_. Even if everything in his vision began to blur again, but Link could still make out some defining features of the abomination he was standing in front of.

It had what looked like six spider-like legs it seemed to use to drag itself along the ground with. It was a massive creature; Link realize that this thing was probably three or even four times larger that his house back in Hyrule. If placed in Hyrule Castle, it would tear through the walls as if they were made of paper. It had two muscular, if the beast even had what could be considered muscles, arms that had claws as sharp and long as swords at the ends. The thing's skin, if that was even the right word for it, was a terrible mess. It was covered in dark, swirling marks that traveled on top of its violet and green patchwork body. It looked like a dark mage had failed to create a quilt. If anything, its face was the worst part. It had four twisted horns of various shades emerging from the top of its head, if that's what that appendage even was. Its horns formed what almost appeared to be a twisted, thorny crown. Even if this thing was like no demon Link has seen before, it had an awfully human-like face that look too familiar for comfort. 

But the creature's eyes...were soulless. It had four round, luminous balls that were a sorry and pathetic excuse for eyes. Those so-called eyes glowed a painfully bright yellow. Below its eyes, the sharp jagged edges that made its mouth made glass look soft. Link tried to move, to look away, to pull out his sword, but he was paralyzed with fear. The beast moved closer and closer and closer. Each step it took made Link feel like the ground would break open at any moment. He tried to force his legs to move, to try and grab his sword again, but the scared hero could do nothing but shake in fear. _This isn't right...Why can't I move?! I want to move! I have to! _The beast continued its painfully slow approach. It raised one of its terrible arms and brought down its claws on Link. He braced himself to feel many sharp piercing pains.

Instead he felt the abomination's claws wrap around him and squeeze him tight. _This thing is going to try to crush me alive! _Link struggled and tried to break free of the beast's powerful grasp.

Nothing could break the monster's grip which felt much tighter than before. The beast stared at Link with a strange look in its eyes. Amusement? Curiosity? Pain? Greif? It raised Link so they could both be at eye level with one another. 

Link wasn't sure if he was struggling to breathe because of the thing's tightening grip or out of his own ever growing fear.

The beast opened its mouth and said one word in a voice that Link could only describe as the sound of glass shattering at the same time as a sword scraping against a horribly rough surface, "_**H E R O...**_" 

Link jolted upright in a cold sweat. He frantically looked around, whipping his head behind him. _Back in the tunnel. _He felt the ground. _Dirt. _He saw the electric lighting that had surprised him so much. _It's fine. Everything is fine. Nothing changed. There is no monster-_

"Are you alright!?" Rinku asked with concern; he had never in his time seen someone have such a terrible nightmare. 

Link became aware that Rinku hands were still tightly grasping his shoulders. He had tried to shake him awake.

Even Sky look slightly concerned. It was strange to see him have an emotion that wasn't anger or annoyance. 

"You weren't waking up!" 

Link was relieved to see the two were fine; he grabbed Rinku's wrists and gently shoved the concerned child away. He knew it was just a dream, but that beast seemed far too real to be just some dark fantasy made from his memories, "Nevermind that. It's not important," Link shook his head dismissively. He didn't want to cause worry, no matter how much the dream unsettled him. Getting the two to safety was his primary concern at the moment.

"You were shaking and sweating though," Rinku said concerned, "It can't just be some-"

"No, we have to keep going," Link dismissed Rinku's concerns. He hated talking about his feelings. The nightmare disturbed him; it only made him want to get to Hytopia sooner. He felt like a fool for resting for so long. 

"But-" 

"We have to get to Hytopia soon if we want to have a better chance of escaping," Link could tell Rinku was worried, but he was sure it would pass quickly. He noticed how much the red clad child seemed to care for others. Link was shocked by how Rinku acted was toward him. Link had been the one to possess them and ruin his and his brother's futures. He felt a deep guilt for making someone who seemed so kind care about his small problem. _I shouldn't have made Rinku worry. I'm supposed to help them, not the other way around. I can't stand this feeling. _Link felt a sinking feeling of pain in his gut. He felt upset at himself. He realized he could only move forward from here. 

"And why do you sound in such a rush?" Sky questioned, "When we first started this trip you weren't so panicked, so do us a favor and tell us the dream. Did you get a message from your supervisor? A bad omen?" Sky pushed against the wall. Slowly but surely he was able to stand against it. He walked, even if his legs looked like they were shaking, to Link and looked him in the eye. He wanted an answer.

Link could see that Sky's eyes were a shade of blue more vibrant than his own. "I said it was nothing. There are more important things. Now that you can walk, this trip should be easier," Link stood up and broke Sky's eye contact. _At least my legs aren't in pain anymore._ He raised his arms above his head and stretched. Remaining calm was key. Link had learned if he looked calm and unbothered, then so would others. He did his best to prevent a panic even though he was internally screaming at himself for being an idiot. 

Sky was ready to start an argument, but before he could, Rinku put a hand on his shoulder and simply shook his head. The red clothed boy looked rather solemn. 

Link was glad Rinku had gained enough strength to stand. _Now we can make plenty of progress. _The hero did his best to not acknowledge Rinku's anxious look. The guilty feeling in him only got stronger, "Good to see you can stand," Link said to Rinku with a cheerful mask to hide his worries. He was happy Rinku could stand, but that nightmare and the daunting task of exiting Hytopia made him feel tense. His mind kept going back to it, "We should get going now that you're both strong enough."

"Right," Rinku agreed with a disheartened voice. He took his hand off of Sky's shoulder and rubbed his own arm; he looked down at the floor. 

Link began to walk forward. The sound of footsteps right behind him told Link both Sky and Rinku were walking perfectly fine, if a little slowly. 

"I don't know what you're playing at you plant but-ow!" Sky yelped. 

Link turned his head to see that Rinku had elbowed Sky.

Rinku looked annoyed. 

"Alright! Fine! I get it!" Sky clutched his side.

Link chose to ignore this. _Siblings being siblings. _He turned his head forward and focused on what was in front of him. He thought he could hear Rinku sighing quietly, but he dismissed it as his imagination. They had a destination to reach after all. 


	5. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group of three continue to travel to reach their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi.
> 
> I promise I'll finish this fanfic even if updates might be irregular.

A dead silence filled the passage; all that could be heard were the sound of footsteps. Link knew he had to continue forward. _Just one foot in front of the other, and we'll all arrive at our destination. Everything will be perfectly fine. I've traveled long distances before. This won't be any different. _He wasn't sure how long they had been walking in silence. Link trying to focus on the sound of Sky and Rinku's footsteps, he didn't want to accidentally leave them behind. If anything bad happened, he knew he had to be the one to defend them. Link was the only one with a sword after all. On the topic of swords, Link found it strange how his sword seemed to follow him. Whenever he had moved his soul to a different vessel, it still managed to come with him. _Magic sure is confusing. My sword follows me, yet my items don't. _Link decided to just go with the answer of "magic works in weird ways". He made a mental note to ask Zelda about it when he got the chance. 

The passage reminded Link of all the dungeons he traveled through. The only things missing were traps and monsters. Link couldn't help but shudder at the thought of all the monsters he had faced while crawling through those cursed areas. Thoughts of Lorule, Stalblind, Dharkstare, Yuga, and Ganon ran through his head. He could feel his thoughts drifting to everything else he had seen in Lorule. The crumbling town, a kingdom in ruins, and a castle that he was barred from entering by use of dark magic. Link could feel his chest tighten and his breathing quicken. _Not here, not now. Now is not the time for this. _Link tried to keep his quick breaths to a minimum. _Think of something good. Think of something good. Think of something-_

Link wrapped his arms around himself tightly. He did his best to make it seem like he was cold. _Once we get out of this place, I'll see sunshine. The birds will chirp. Nothing will be wrong. Everything will be fine._ Link tried to reassure himself. 

"Are you cold or somethin'," Sky asked the nervous hero. 

"Um, yeah," Link's grip tightened and his breathing got shallower. _Now is not the time. I can't do this now!_

"You look sick," Sky said bluntly. 

"Don't be so rude!" Rinku constantly reminded his brother about his manners. Rinku looked at Link, "Are you-"

"_I'm fine_," Link insisted. _This is my problem. It'll be over soon enough. _

"You better not drop dead on us," Sky teased, "You aren't running away from this problem like you ran away from the moblin that chucked a spear at you."

Link couldn't help but giggle at that joke. He smiled for a moment, but he realized what Sky's tease meant, "So...you remember...something?" The guilt Link had tried to suppress hit once again. He couldn't stand to think about what he had done, what he had a part in doing.

It was quiet for a few moments. The passage felt colder.

"...It's blurry," Sky admitted. 

Link was lost for words. What would he want someone to tell him if he were in Sky's place? He felt his heart ache. 

The group continued to walk forward in silence. They weren't sure how much time had passed. Link thought about Hyrule. He thought what he would do when he went back to his home. He had thought about being a traveler and never settling, but that sort of life didn't appeal to him anymore. Link had learned how difficult traveling was and was content exploring one, maybe even two, kingdoms. Though, it would be a lie to say Link hadn't considered leaving Hyrule permanently. Everything was so different now that people called him the "Hero of Hyrule", or even the "New Hero of Hyrule". He had even heard someone call him the "Hero of Worlds" once. Link doubted things would ever go back to normal for him. He couldn't stop worry what would happen to Rinku and Sky once they got to Hyrule. _They look just like me. They even sound like me. Will they be confused for me? Will they be forced to live in my shadow? What if they get accused of dark magic? _Link thought of so many things that could go wrong. His worries overwhelmed him. He tried to push those thoughts back. 

"That's new," Sky broke the silence. 

Link looked down at his feet to see he had just crossed an out of place metal line on the ground. He felt like a fool for not noticing it sooner, "Don't come forward," he commanded the two, who were still behind the line. 

"This wasn't here last time..." Rinku mumbled to himself. He looked confused. He approached the what looked to be a thick wire buried in the ground. 

Link had been through enough temples to have a feeling of what was about to happen after he took a few more steps forward. He drew his sword and held it tightly. The experienced hero took a few more cautious steps forward until the sound of metal scraping against a wall froze him in place. He quickly turned around to see that the metal line had risen out of the ground and was now snuggly attached to the ceiling. He could see Sky and Rinku's surprised and scared faces through the rusty metal bars. 

A cloud of purple smoke began to gather in the middle of the room. On the other side of the unnatural smoke Link could see more metal bars trapping him in this enclosed area. It was wider than the rest of the tunnel. 

"What's going on?!" Sky shouted. He sounded panicked.

"It's a trap," Link explained, "A monster will appear out of that smoke any moment now. Just stand back." 

"Why do you sound so calm?!" Rinku shouted alarmed, "You might get-"

"I'll be careful," Link assured them. He knew he didn't have any items on him, but his sword was good enough. _I wish I had brought my Hylian shield to Hytopia. That would have made a lot of things much easier. _

As the smoke dispersed, Link could see his challenger. The enemy was a skeletal warrior; its golden armor shone due to the bright electric lights of the passage. He noticed how the skeleton's bones looked cracked. The skeletal warrior held a long ball and chain covered in spikes that were as sharp as Link's sword. The monster raised its weapon and began to swing it. 

Link knew better than to stand around and watch. He didn't want to stay in one place for long. _I've faced monsters like this before and I know can do it again. I have to get past this. _Link looked for any obvious weak spots first. He tried to get behind the warrior but it continued to face him no matter what Link tried to do. He concluded that every major weak point of the brittle skeleton was covered, all except one. Link's eyes were drawn to the monsters unprotected neck. Before he could make an attempt to approach the monster, it threw its spike-covered ball at his head.

"Look out!" Rinku shouted at Link. He looked as pale as a sheet of paper. 

Link jumped out of the way right before it hit him.

Sky and Rinku were both panicking on the other side of the metal bars. Sky wrapped his hands around the rusted metal and tried to pull them back. This obviously didn't work. In frustration, Sky kicked the bars. 

Link saw how it took the skeletal warrior a few seconds to recover after it had thrown its weapon. He had a plan. Link bought his time circling the soldier and waited until it threw the spiked at his head once more. Link rolled out of the way just in time and ran towards the soldier as quickly as he could. He raised his sword and swung it directly at the monster's neck. 

His sword cut through the warrior's neck like a knife through butter. The ball and chain soldier's head fell to the floor with a sickening _thud_. The body of the warrior fell to its knees and then to the floor; it then dispersed back into the same purple smoke it came from. 

Link heard the familiar clicking he had heard through many dungeons. The bars on both sides lowered, opening the passage. Link found it strange how easy it was to defeat that foe. _Nothing is ever that easy. Did I get better or did the monsters get weaker? _

Rinku ran up to Link, "Are you hurt?" He looked teary eyed and his voice of was full of concern.

Link appreciate the concern, but he had done this before. He wasn't hurt, "I'm perfectly fine." 

Sky remained behind the metal wire with his arms crossed, "How many more of these are set up here?"

"Good question," Rinku though for a moment, "How come you knew what this was? Why did you know it was a trap?" Rinku asked Link.

Hyrule's hero hesitated to answer. "We have these back in my kingdom..." _Technically not a lie._

"What? Do you fight monsters for a living?" Sky asked jokingly. 

"Uhhh...no. I'm an apprentice to a blacksmith," Link answered. He knew Sky had been sarcastic, but he had gotten an answer that was too close to the truth for Link's comfort. 

The blue clothed boy sighed, "You can't even take a joke?" 

"Oh, don't be like that," Rinku tried to keep his brother level-headed.

Link was ready to continue forward until he heard a faint ticking noise. _Is that a timer?! _He had to make a choice. Link pushed Rinku away and into Sky, causing the two of them to fall outside the makeshift arena. 

"What was that for?!" Sky yelled at Link.

Just has he had finished his statement the metal bars rose again. Link was glad he pushed Rinku away. 

Link entered his fighting stance again. He listened and looked for the smallest change around him. Something else was coming. This something was bigger; Link had a terrible feeling. 

"What are you doing?!" Rinku exclaimed. He pushed Sky off him. Both of them scrambled to stand up.

"It's not over," Link tried to sound calm. Panic rose in his voice.

Smoke began to gather once again. It clustered in the center of the room and began to rise, well, as far as it could with such limited space. Wind began to blow around the room. This was a strong gale that nearly knocked Sky and Rinku onto the ground. Link was able to stand against the violent air current; it brought back memories of the House of Gales. Link could tell that this wind had magical and was coming from whatever was forming in the smoke. A loud screech echoed through chamber and the wind ceased. The smoke faded and the heroes could see what was awaiting them. 

It was a large moth-like creature with eight legs emerging from its midsection; each leg was covered in sword-like thorns. It had a single, large eye from which two, jet black antenna appeared to stem from. That awful eye drilled directly into Link; it was a luminous and sickening green. The monster's wings shone with bright greens, reds, and blues, even with the limited light of the tunnel. A royal purple appeared to smear the bottom of the wings. Those wings looked like a stained-glass mural filtering sunlight. 

"W-What is that t-thing?" Sky asked in a trembling voice, trying to mask his fear.

Link had a strange ability; he had the ability to know the name of a monster whenever he saw it. How else would he know what Zaganaga was called? Link looked upon the winged monster before him and knew its title. 

_**Mothula, Forgotten Guardian **_


	6. Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group has a boss battle on their hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue how to write a boss battle. It was a learning experience and a struggle. Enjoy!  
Sight gore warning, but it's nothing really graphic; it's only a minor injury.

Mothula flapped its large, shimmering wings. The room may have been far too small for its comfort, but it could still easily fly and make precise maneuvers, much to Link's dismay. Mothula flew straight into Link and threw him against the wall.

He hit the wall with a loud thud. The air was knocked out of his lungs. He gasped for breath and struggled to regain balance. His vision briefly went dark. _Oh Hylia, this isn't good, _panic began to grow within the hero. 

"LINK!" Rinku yelled in terror. The blood drained out of his face. 

Mothula continued to circle the room. The giant creature's eye continued to glow a sickening green; it stared at the green hero.

"How do we get the bars down?!" Sky's voice was filled with panic. He gripped the bars and tried to pull them away to no avail. Rinku began to try to do the same.

Pain throbed through Link's body. His breaths were ragged and it felt as though his chest would collapse at any moment, "Just stay-" he tried to warn. He struggled to get the words out.

Mothula screeched and flew at green hero again. 

"Move!" Rinku cried out.

Link dropped to the ground before Mothula rammed into the space his head used to be. The wall was left with multiple cracks. Link gripped his sword with trembling hands. 

Mothula appeared to be disoriented from hitting the wall, but before Link could even try to land a hit on the monster, or even stand up, it began to fly around the chamber once more. 

"Don't just lay there!" Sky yelled at Link, who was still slightly disoriented from panic.

Rinku looked closer at the cracks on the wall, "You could have died!" 

Link managed to stand with shaking legs. He could feel his heart pounding and breaths quickening. _I can't fight it alone...It has a green eye! Of course, it's targeting me! This is just like Blizzagia!...just with less ice and more flying..._As much as Link wanted to avoid it, Sky and Rinku would have to join the fight, "Are either of you good with a sword?" Link said as he dodged another one of Mothula's attacks. He did his best to avoid making predictable movements; that was the downfall of many of the foe's the Hero of Hyrule had faced, and he refused to let that be his downfall as well. 

"We both know how use one!" Sky responded; he didn't like where this was going. 

"Good enough! Catch!" Link threw his sword between the bars that separated him and his teammates. 

Sky barely managed to catch the sword.

"What are you doing?!" Rinku shouted at him, "Don't you need that!" he sounded worried and confused. 

"Not anymore! Now get down! We can't break down those bars, but Mothula probably can!"

Sky looked confused for a moment, "Mothula? And what do you mean by probably?!"

Rinku dropped to the floor and pulled Sky down with him, "You better know what you're doing!"

Mothula's eye was still a hideous shade of green.

Link positioned himself in front of the bars that blocked the other two heroes from entering, "Don't worry about me," _This better work!_

Mothula flew at Link. 

He leaped out of the way at the last second. 

Mothula hit the old and rusting bars and tore them down. Thankfully, none of them landed on Sky or Rinku. 

"Wait are you waiting for! Hit it!" Link commanded.

Sky jumped up and slashed at Mothula's body. 

The winged beast let out an enraged roar and its eye turned a deep shade of blue. 

"Its eye color matches our clothing! That's why it was attacking me first! Pass the sword to someone else!" Link informed Sky.

Sky handed Rinku the sword and ducked as Mothula dived at him. 

"Wait! What's the plan?!" Rinku shouted in confusion. 

"Do either of you remember Blizzagia? From the ice temple?" Link tried to explain. He didn't want to bring up the past, but the icy serpent seemed to be the thing he could most easily compare to Mothula.

The two looked uncomfortable, but they understood what Link meant. 

_At least there's no risk of them getting frozen solid this time. _

Mothula began to aim its next attack at Sky.

Now that the three heroes had a vaguely understood plan, the monster was at a disadvantage. Sky dodged Mothula's attack in a similar fashion to how Link had done so. Mothula hit the wall. It was disoriented.

"Now's your chance!" Link exclaimed. 

Rinku ran up to the monster and slashed at it; he copied his twin's movements almost exactly. 

The monster's eye became a fiery red and it began to circle the room. 

Rinku handed the sword back to Link and prepared to dodge Mothula's next attack. 

Mothula raised its antenna and fire bolts of electricity at Rinku, who was forced to sprint around the entire room. He couldn't afford to stay still. 

_That's new, _Link approached Mothula and raised his sword in preparation to tear into the beast. 

Rinku let out a yelp before Link was able to strike the monster. His shoulder was scorched from an electric burn; he clutched his charred arm in pain and fell to his knees. The monster's attack managed to get through the sleeve of his tunic.

Link hastily landed a hit on Mothula. 

Sky quickly ran to help his brother up.

The monster prepared to slam into Rinku.

_It should be attacking me! Why isn't it aiming at me?! _"Both of you! Move!" Link jumped onto Sky and pulled him to the ground before he could get near his brother. 

Sky shouted, "Let me go!"

Mothula slammed Rinku against the wall. Rinku fell to the floor and didn't get up...or move for that matter. 

"Rinku! Oh, I'll show you!" Sky tore the sword out of Link's hand and forced himself free.

"Don't be rash!" The green hero noticed the monster's eye was now the same shade of green it had been when the battle started. _Just great, now it decides to go after me,_ he tackled Sky to the floor again as Mothula sped above them. _I can't risk Sky getting hurt too. _

Sky pushed Link off and ran at the giant moth.

_I really hope he knows what he's doing._

The blue hero slashed at Mothula with such strength that Link was almost certain his sword would be shattered. 

The group's foe let out a horrifically loud screech of pain. Sky had made such a deep cut, it appeared like Mothula would be cut into two seperate pieces! Needless to say, it began to target the blue hero with a vengeance. 

Sky threw Link's sword at him, thankful the sword landed on the ground in front of Link, or he would have been impaled with the amount of force Sky had used to throw it.

"Hey! That's right you stupid moth! Fight me!" The blue hero had a lot of nerve for someone who just threw a sword away. He waved his hands in the air to make sure Mothula's attention was on him.

The monster began to shoot electric bolts out of its antenna; each attack was aimed towards Sky, who was able to roll or jump out of the way before any attack landed on him. 

Link was impressed to say the least. _Sky may be reckless, but at least he has the spirit. _Link sprinted to Mothula and made the cut Sky had made even deeper. He cut Mothula in half.

The beast let out one last terrible screech before it disappeared into a thick cloud of violet smoke. The two heard the familiar sound of gears turning and clicking into place. The bars keeping them from moving forward were lowered. 

Sky ran to check on his brother, "Get up! Come on..." Sky let out a shout of frustration, "I could have stopped this! You held me back!" he blamed Link.

"You would have both been hurt then. Did you check to see if he's still-"

"He's breathing." Sky stated bitterly.

Link noticed how Rinku's chest was rising and falling. _It could have been much worse, _he reminded himself. A wave of relief swept over him. A living person was better than a dead one. 

Sky's eyes wandered to the burn Mothula made, "We need bandages."

"I don't have any supplies. The only medical supplies are in Castle Town," _Brillant! You didn't bring anything! Not even a potion! I should have brought something...Even a fairy..._

"This is just perfect!" Rinku huffed and crossed his arms. 

Link looked towards the smoke that was still dispersing. A small light inside it caught his attention. _A fairy. Thank Hylia. _He made his way through the small, thinning cloud of smoke. It was definitely a fairy; the small creature appeared to be nothing more than a ball of light with wings, "Look at this."

"What?" Sky looked in Link's direction and saw the fairy. His face lit up instantly. 

"Get Rinku over here," Link told Sky,"Make sure you don't touch the fairy or it will heal you instead."

"Whatever you say, leaf," he scooped up the red clad hero and carried him to the fairy, "I hope this works," his voice had concern in it.

The fairy circled the pair of siblings and closed in on Rinku; his wounds were instantly healed and his scorched sleeve was repaired. The fairy disappeared in a small flash of light. 

The two conscious heroes let out a sigh of relief. 

Link spoke up, "So when do you think he'll wake up?"

"Do I look like an oracle to you?" Sky joked. He tried to lighten the mood. 

"Fair point," Link had to smile at that comment.

"Let me guess," Sky looked in the direction of where the bars used to be, "We go forward?"

"Nothing else we can really do." 

"I suppose it's my job to carry the sleeping princess then."

Link shook his head, but his smile grew wider. He appreciated his companion's sense of humor, "Yeah, but we can take turns." 

"Sure thing, twig."

"Oh, be serious." 

"You know I'm great." 

"Yes, yes, amazing job, court jester." 

The two heroes both laughed at that and continued their journey. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry it was kinda short. Writer's block is awful.


	7. Red Flag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red flag: A signal of danger or a problem

"Failure! A complete failure!" a voice rang out through the endless darkness. 

_No, no, no..._He had to keep running. They couldn't catch him. He couldn't afford to get hurt. They already took Sky. Rinku refused to be next. He couldn't see. Everything was dark and the longer he ran, the more he felt something pulling him down into the abyss underneath. He knew he could stop this; there had to be a way to undo what had happened to Sky. There had to be! Rinku could feel the hot tears streaming down his face, _How did it all go wrong? What went wrong?! _

_If only I had taken that cursed rod...I can't believe I thought it would actually help..._He was panting from the effort it took to run. It felt like his lungs were on fire, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't afford to stop. He refused to stop. _I'm sorry, Sky! You were right! I was too emotional! I should have thought for myself!_ Rinku knew that his excuses couldn't ever fix what he had done. Lives were at stake.

Then, he felt it. Something had caught the back of his tunic. He yelped in surprise. _No, no, no! _Rinku tried to run even faster. It was no use.

A painfully familiar light started to grow behind him and before he knew it, he was nothing but a vessel to be used by his successor.

** _..._ **

He tried to say something, anything, that would get someone's attention. Everything was dark, cold, and blurry; the crushing darkness felt endless. _Can anyone hear me? Why can't they hear me? _He wanted to scream, _Can't anyone hear me? I don't understand...Where did everything go wrong?_

He tried to focus his vision in an attempt to lessen his fear, but the darkness continued to surround the scared hero. If he had the ability to cry, he would have started to feel the familiar feeling of two streams of tears running down his face as he let out his frustration, fear, and anger. _I can't even cry! _The doppel's face would never change; it was just an unfeeling, mindless puppet...at least that's what Rinku had thought. 

_I shouldn't be able to feel, much less think, anything. My emotions got me into this mess and feeling sorry for myself won't get me out! I just have to think logically._ He tried to focus his vision again. This time he had some success. 

From what his weak eyes could decipher, Rinku realized where he was. _Steps leading to a Triforce gateway, three color codes tiles on the floor, and-_

A conversation being held somewhere inside the chamber could be heard. It snapped Rinku out of his thoughts. He tried to listen in. Even though people in Hytopia tended to be loud and state their opinions rather openly, the doppel had terrible hearing. The only phrase he could make out was "sealed away". 

_I've been sealed away then? For what?! __No...I to think rationally. _Rinku gathered his thoughts. _If I'm sealed away, then Sky probably is too. Where would he be? _Out of the corner of his vision he saw doll, no, a doppel. It may have been a wooden doll, but it looked, and felt, like stone. _Sky? Well, if I'm conscious...then Sky has to be conscious too! Right? _Rinku tried to convince himself that Sky was fine, _What am I supposed to do now? _

As hard as the trapped hero tried to think of a plan, he couldn't. Every plan he thought up was bound to end in failure or be impossible to start, _I can't talk. I can't move. There's nothing I can do..._Rinku tried to stay hopeful. Things would get better, wouldn't they? They always have.

_ **...** _

The longer he was trapped, the better he was able to view his surroundings. They were still blurry, but he could see more; However, there was one main detail that stuck out to him the most: a strange looking man seemed to be in the room almost constantly, only leaving to rest. Rinku had a terrible feeling about him. More specifically, he had a terrible feeling about the staff the man held, _Could it be that cursed rod? _Rinku questioned, _It couldn't be that rod. It's not possible...is it?_

_ **...** _

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. He stopped caring after Hylia knows how long. His remaining hope had been crushed, _This is what the rest of my eternity is going to be like, isn't it?__ I can't do anything. _He was impatient. Rinku wanted something, anything, to change. Everything was the same blur, it had been the same for so long. He felt tired of it all. Nothing changed. That man was still there, and he had gotten much older. His long, wispy beard was white...or gray. Rinku's vision still wasn't perfect. 

His memory wasn't perfect either; it was short and fading. He had difficulty recalling things before being imprisoned. Everything seemed to blur together. Every day of his imprisonment felt like drawn out torture. _I hope Sky is doing better...__I miss him so much...I'd do anything to be able to talk to him again. Even for only a moment. _

** _..._ **

Being a doppel was a terrible fate. He knew what they were used for and what awful fate awaited. For a moment, he regretted researching the subject. He would have prefered ignorance rather than knowing what could happen to him and Sky. 

Doppels were vessels. They were vesseled that could, in theory, be used by anyone. All that was needed to use a doppel was a simple spell to allow the subjects soul to move between the bodies. He hated the suspense of waiting for his demise. He hated that he was just going to be someone's mindless puppet. 

** _..._ **

_Who is that? _If Rinku was in his original state, his heart would have pounded in his chest from the anxiety. He saw a blond haired boy clothed in green enter the room, _Why does he have a hero's tunic? That means..._Rinku felt sick. He realized what could happen.

The strange wizard, who apparently was called "The Doppel Master", said something about a spell and solitude. Rinku worries grew, _This is it, isn't it? This is where it ends. I hope Sky will be safe. _Loud screaming disrupted his thoughts. The once red hero was extremely confused, _Why is that necessary? _Rinku would have let out a loud gasp if he wasn't trapped. After the wizard, which the sealed hero could only describe as being some form of mentally unhinged, finished the spell, Rinku's clothes turned back into their original fiery red. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sky's hero's tunic was back to its normal blue. The thing that stuck out to Rinku the most though, was the fact that Sky's hair was the exact same color as his tunic, _Does that mean my hair's red? _

The new boy approached him, his blond hair now the same bright, toxic green as his tunic. 

To say Rinku was nervous was an understatement; he was absolutely terrified. He tried to stop focusing on his surroundings and before he knew it, Rinku had arrived in the Woodlands. Everything went downhill from there. 

He remembered the uncomfortable feeling of nearly being pushed out of his own body when this new hero tried to possess him. Rinku tried to force him out but, he was too weak. He was nothing but a spectator. He remembered hearing the clanging of swords and feeling pain. He remembered the feeling of an open wound after being attacked and the scorching pain in his hand when something had burned him. He remembered all those monsters charging at him with the intent to kill. Eventually, Rinku gave up, _There really is nothing I can do..._He grew familiar to the feeling of someone doing everything else for him. 

He was out of that room at least, only being brought back to that cursed placed when the new hero had to make some new outfit or rest. _I hope Sky is coping better._ Rinku longed for his freedom. _Why is he even doing this? Who is he fighting? Why does he need doppels for this? _Rinku tried to figure the new hero out. He wanted to know more about him, _Where did he come from? Is there something in it for him? Does he feel guilty using us? He knows how doppels are made, doesn't he? Well, I guess not every hero is a paragon of virtue...I sure am one to talk...I couldn't even do my job right._

_ **...** _

Rinku knew the adventure would end but, he wasn't ready to go back. He couldn't go back. He didn't want to spend what was left of his miserable existence trapped and alone. _Don't leave me here! _Rinku wanted to call out. _I'm not ready yet! _If doppels could show emotion, Rinku's would have created a river from all the tears.

He thought it was over when Hytopia's new hero left. Rinku overheard something about a celebration. _I remember when Sky and I had a celebration. It was smaller compared to this festival but, it was fun...I miss those days. I wonder what Sky would think about this new hero. _He laughed to himself. _I bet he thinks the new hero is so pretentious with all those crazy outfits._

As morally ambiguous as the green clothed hero seemed, Rinku wasn't ready for everything to go back to normal, but he didn't have a say in the matter, _At least this hero could do his job. I don't have the right to criticize him after my failure. _

_**...**_

It was a pleasant surprise when the new hero came back. As much as he hated being used as a doppel, he couldn't stand the uncertainty of what could happen to him if someone else would have the need to use a doppel. This hero was familiar and Rinku knew he didn't have malicious intent, even if he used human puppets. _I really hope he's doing this for a good reason. He has to be, right? _Rinku wanted to see the best in people, but he was worried. He worried that this hero wasn't as virtuous as he presented himself.

Before Rinku knew it, the earth shook and the new hero had suddenly dragged them deep into a forest, _Has he lost it?! We're going to get lost! There's no way back if we get lost! What is he thinking? _Rinku a sinking feeling inside him. As the hero forced them forward, everything seemed to become clearer, _Why is the hero blond again?_ He felt a buzzing underneath his skin (...stone?...wood?...whatever doppels are made of?). _What's going on? __Why are we here of all places? He is actually approaching an ancient ruin? Shouldn't he know this always ends badly!? _

Even if Rinku's vision was getting clearer, things were still a challenge to make out. He paid close attention to where they were going. He recognized this place, _This is where everything went wrong. No! We can't go back! _Rinku hated how he never had any free will as a doppel. He felt paralyzed by fear as they continued to approach. It felt like terror would drown him as they climbed to the top floor. 

Rinku felt something pound in his chest, _Wait, that's not right...__Doppels don't have a heartbeat? And now that I think about, wouldn't it have been faster for the hero to possess us rather than drag us? Does he not want to? Can he...not do it anymore? _Rinku could barely contain his excitement, _Am I going to be human again? _He could barely contain his fear, _Will I just get turned back into a doppel? I don't want to lose my freedom that quickly! I don't even know if the hero cares that we're trapped...He'll just use us again! _Rinku didn't want to believe that this new hero might be the one to take away his freedom as soon as he got it back. 

As the group climbed to the top floor of the temple, Rinku's mind raced, _What should I do? What am I supposed to do?!_

Finally, he saw it. He couldn't see that awful rod through the magical barrier, but he knew it was there. _It has to be there! _he reasoned. 

Hytopia's new hero stepped inside the barrier. 

_Oh Hylia! This isn't good! _

Rinku watched as the new hero caused the barrier to collapse, _He has the rod. He has it!_ _I can't just stay silent! _Luckily for Rinku, the curse on him was becoming weaker. He felt his limbs become less stiff. His vision cleared and Rinku saw the hero looking at him through the jewel on the top of the rod, _I have to speak up! This could be my only chance! Will he attack me? _Fear filled him, _But I can't keep living like this! I'm sick of being scared and alone! If I escape, then maybe I can finally help Sky! _He found the courage to say something, even if it wasn't much. He struggled to get the words out. 

"Can you hear me?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been emotionally destroyed by finals. Sorry this took so long and if it seems rushed or sloppy. I hope everyone reading has (or has had, depending on when you're reading this) a happy holiday season!


	8. Teamwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group faces a new challenge in which teamwork is required.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't have a good excuse for why this took so long to write...sorry.

"Are you sure don't need any help?" Link asked Sky. 

"I'm perfectly fine," Sky replied. His arms felt tired after carrying Rinku for so long, but he was certain he didn't need help, "You don't have to constantly babysit me. I can do things by myself. I'm not _that_ helpless."

"Alright then," Link felt like he should have had more faith in Sky, _I shouldn't be so worried about them. They both know what they're doing. I'm just being paranoid again. _Link wanted to help. He felt like he had to, that it was is purpose to help people. 

After an uncomfortably long pause, Sky spoke again, "You know...I can't figure you out." 

"What's that supposed to mean? There isn't that much to figure out about me."

"I'll put this bluntly: Why do you bother to help? Even though you don't stand to gain anything?"

Link was taken aback by the question, "Because helping people is the right thing to do...I don't really have any other explanation to give you."

There was another uncomfortably long pause, "I'm starting to get more of my memories back." 

Link wasn't sure how to respond to that statement, "That's a good thing...Right?" 

"Of course it is, you plant! The pathetic excuse of a fireball I'm carrying is probably starting to remember more too," Sky thought for a moment, "I don't know how to phrase this, but where did you learn how to fight like that?"

"What do you mean?" Link was getting uncomfortable. 

"Look, I was training to be, well, essentially a royal guard with Rinku and neither of us ever got that good. We had _years_ of practice and drills," Sky let out a sarcastic laugh, "Yet you, a 'blacksmith's apprentice' can face so many monsters and come out, for the most part, unscathed." 

_Is he going to ask what I think he's about to ask?_

"I'm asking a simple question: how did you learn to fight?"

The silence that followed Sky's question was deafening. 

"Keeping secrets now?" Sky commented in a joking tone. 

Link wanted to tell Sky the truth. The whole truth Link had tried to keep hidden. Almost everyone in Hyrule knew he was the hero that saved their princess and sages. After his adventure, almost everyone treated him differently. Where there was once concern, there was only jealousy and resentment. Sure, many people were grateful for what Link did, but many wished to have been in his place, which is something Link couldn't imagine why. He felt alone and if he complained, it would make him look selfish and self-righteous. He knew he was the subject of much gossip, and he knew for a fact there would be people who would try to take the Triforce of Courage from him. _If I tell Sky, he might trust me even less. I don't want to ruin his trust. They'll both treat me differently; they'll expect more from me. I can't take any more pressure._

He remembered the sinking feeling in his chest the first time when no one bothered to greet him when he was walking through Kakariko Village. For the first time in his life, he was an outcast. Link thought it would go away with time, but it never did. He would forever be known as a hero, but also as some weird kid who suddenly stopped talking to people one day. Link wished he could tell them the reason he stopped talking to them was because his adventure kept him busy, but every time he tried to explain he was pushed away. _I don't want that to happen again._ Link felt his eyes growing hot. _NO! I will not cry. I will not cry. I will NOT cry. I am better than this. Everyone expects better from me. _Link remembered all those near death experiences. Electrocution, drowning, burning, freezing, and even being stabbed were all risked he faced. _Was it not enough? What else can I do?! What else am I supposed to do?! _He couldn't remember what he was originally thinking about. Thoughts raced through his head and tears threatened to spill. 

"Was that too personal?" Sky's voice had concern in it.

Link shook his head to try to clear his mind. He couldn't let this one question bother him, "My kingdom was filled with monsters...I had to defend myself somehow."

"I guess I was the one who made you uncomfortable this time." 

Link sigh, "It's nothing," _I have to stay strong, _"So how's-"

"Sky! Link!" Rinku blurted out without warning. He fought his way out of his brother's grasp. 

"Sweet Hylia!" Sky lost his grip and dropped Rinku on the ground. A thud echoed throughout the tunnel.

_These two will be the death of_ me..."Are - are you alright?!"

Rinku let out a groan. Hitting the floor from any height isn't fun. 

"He's alive," Sky commented.

Link rolled his eyes, "How insightful."

Rinku seemed panicked and quickly sat up, "How are both so calm? Did you get hurt? Is the beast gone? How long-"

"And you said I worry too much!" Sky interrupted, "We're fine and the giant moth-"

"Mothula," Link corrected.

"Fine, 'Mothula' is gone and you haven't missed much."

Rinku seemed to relax after hearing that.

"So, how do you feel?" Link asked.

"My head hurts and I feel sore," Rinku rubbed the back of his head. 

"No kidding," Sky added, "You got rammed into a wall." 

Rinku tried to get up, but he was still too weak from the fight against Mothula. 

"Come on," Link extended his hand out to help his dizzy companion. 

"Thanks," Rinku said quietly. He grabbed Link's hand and slowly managed to stand.

"I think I'm fine now," Rinku stated letting go of his metaphorical crutch, "Do either of you want to tell me what I missed?"

"Link killed Mothula, I've been carrying you, and I apparently asked him a really personal question that made us both uncomfortable."

"Actually," Link corrected, "Sky almost cut that monster in half! He did most of the work."

"Oh, that's not important," Sky's face turned a bit red. He tried to brush off Link's comment.

"As long as you're both getting along," Rinku sighed. 

The group continued traveling down the tunnel, except now they were all talking to one another!

"And then I said, 'What do you think I am? A pig?'" Sky finished his joke.

Rinku and Link both laughed. 

Link admitted he was nervous, but Sky always found a way to lighten the mood. _Maybe this isn't so bad, and we'll all get to Hyrule safely!_ He noticed on how the tunnel began to gradually get wider, and he wasn't the only one who noticed.

Rinku face shone with excitement, "Look! The tunnel is getting wider. I doubt we have to travel for so long to finally get out of here. There shouldn't be anything else to worry ab-"

"Except the bottomless chasm," Sky interrupted. 

"The what?" Rinku was sorely disappointed to find that during his absence, another trap was added. 

Link wasn't sure how someone managed to dig something like this or how he hadn't noticed it until Sky pointed it out. It compared to one of the fractures in Lorule's world, except this was much larger. Link had trouble seeing the other side of the massive pit. 

Sky looked ready to maim whoever came up with this brilliant idea, "What the actual f-"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic! There's always a solution a puzzle like this," Rinku pointed out.

"He's right," Link agreed and then thought for a moment, "Have either of you dealt with traps or puzzles before?"

Sky shook his head, "No, at least not like this. You've seen Hytopia's 'challenges'."

Link thought back to all the dungeons and temples he went through, _Maybe there's a button that activates a bridge. There aren't any enemies we have to defeat, is there? _Link walked closer to the edge of the chasm. As he approached, he began to hear the unmistakable sound of gears turning and something clicking. Link placed his hand on his sword's cold, metallic sheath and prepared for a fight. To his surprise, no monsters appeared. Instead, a series of tracks rose from the pit. Link didn't like how thin and rusty the supports looked. It made him feel uneasy. As more tracks were rising, he could hear Sky and Rinku arguing about something. He away from the seemling bottomless pit and towards the arguing pair. 

"I'm just trying to say-" Rinku blurted.

"Why are you like this?!" Sky interrupted.

Link sighed, _Siblings being siblings, _"I hate to interrupt...whatever you two are doing, but there is a way across," Link pointed to a long set of rails spanning the chasm. When Link had turned around for only a few seconds, the rest of the rails had appeared. It was a terrible, tangled mess. Rails were going over and under each other in a way Link could describe as an eyesore. The rails had newly added minecart with a lever next to it, _It always amazes me how fast a puzzle can appear._ He saw that the puzzle had gotten those familiar orbs that were usually the bane of his existence, _At least this doesn't look too bad. I just have to hit the orbs and it'll be over. Simple, quick, and easy,_ he tried to reassure himself. As Link approached the minecart he realized there was only enough room for one of them.

Sky sighed, "Well, it could be worse," he turned to Link, who was already getting inside the minecart, "I hope you know you're supposed to hit each orb until they all glow."

"How are you supposed to steer?" Rinku looked around for a moment before setting his eyes on two of them.

An uncomfortable silence followed. 

Link hadn't realized there wasn't a way to steer the minecart in order to reach all the orbs. 

The group's momentary silence was broken by the faint sound of more gears turning. 

_Oh sweet Hylia, what is it this time?_

Two bright orange buttons, on metal pedestals of all things, emerged from the ground. They were quite a distance from each other. Rinku approach them one at a time and inspected them. 

"This just keeps getting worse," Sky complained, "No way across, no way to steer, and now these random-"

"Hold on. You missed something," Rinku called attention to the design of the two buttons, "The button on my right has an arrow also pointing in right while the button on my left has an arrow pointing left," Rinku took a breath before continuing to explain, "It looks like these buttons are the controls for the minecart."

Link had the horrible realization that this task would require the three of them to work together, "So, if the arrow points right and you hit the button, then the minecart will go right."

"Right...uhh...Correct," Rinku responded.

"You have to tell us which way you want to go," Sky pointed out, "If we try to guide you through _that_ mess," he pointed to the rails, "You probably won't hit any of your targets."

"I understand," Link wanted to go over the plan one more time, "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we have plan. I will shout which way I want to go and whoever is at that button will press it. I will then hit the orb with my sword. Any questions?"

"What else is there to ask?" Sky replied. 

"This seems simple enough," Rinku walked over to the left button.

"I sure hope it is," Sky said as walked to the button on the right. 

Link unsheathed his sword and gripped it tightly and then flipped the lever next to the minecart. He felt the minecart move forward slowly at first and begin to get faster. He saw the first orb coming up next to the rail going left, "Left!" Link shouted. 

Rinku pressed the button quickly and watch as the minecart, along with the green hero inside it, began going left. 

Link raised his sword and swung at the orb as it got into range. He saw it turn a bright blue after his sword made contact with it, _One down, three to go. _He saw the maze of rails he had to guide himself through. Link panicked slightly when he realized the minecart was actually getting faster and faster, _Don't worry about the minecart. I just need to reach the switches, _"Left! Then Right! Left again!"

Sky and Rinku quickly pressed the buttons in the correct order. 

Just like before, Link hit the switch with his sword, and he saw the orb brighten, _Only two more, _He swore the minecart kept getting faster, _Are sparks coming from the wheels?...No, it doesn't matter. I'm wasting time,_ Link saw the next part of rails he had to go through was worse than the last, "Right! Left! Left! Right! Right!"

Sky and Rinku manged to press all the buttons in time with little time to spare. 

Link knew the drill and understood what he had to do. He hit the next switch and watch as it was illuminated, _Only one more, come on, Link. _The minecart was definitely going way too fast to be face and Link saw more sparks coming from the wheels, _Oh Hylia this doesn't look good, at least there's only one more. _This final switch could only be reached after going through a complete mess of rails, "Left! Right! Left! Left! Right! Left! Right!"

The two siblings struggled to press all the buttons in a short amount of time, but at least it was done.

Link just barely hit the final orb with his sword. He felt the minecart slow to a much safer speed, _I worried for nothing,_ Link noticed the minecart had stopped moving, _Great...At least all I have to do now __is to wait for a bridge-_

A terrible crashing sound snapped Link back to reality. He whipped his head around to see that the rails behind him were starting to fall and collapse into the abyss, _I was right to have a bad feeling about those supports!_ Link knew better than to just sit around even though he felt paralyzed by fear; he jumped out of the minecart and onto the rails in front of him. He saw the endless fall that awaited him if he didn't move. Link balanced himself and sprinted faster, faster, and faster. He thought he would make it until he felt the rails start to give way under him, _Oh for Hylia's sake! __I'm so close! I might be able to make it if I jump. _What other choice did he have? To fall into the abyss? He made up his mind. He leaped for the edge of the cliff just as the rails completely gave out. For a brief moment, he had nothing under him or supporting him. He stretched his arms forward to try to reach the edge. To his, and his group's, relief he managed to grab the edge. 

Link felt his arms shaking as he was pulling himself up, _I made it, I can't believe I made it, I actually made it! _He felt the cold ground as he was laying on it. That experience was exhausting. 


	9. Totem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group continues to move forward. They can't seem to catch a break from puzzles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long to post. My computer started to have all sorts of problems and I've been dealing with a lot due to the pandemic and school related work. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for waiting.

Link could feel his heart racing, _Never again. Hytopia needs to safer puzzles...Bold words coming from me._ He wasn't sure how to feel after narrowly escaping death. Glad? Exhausted? Relieved? He felt as if he should have just shrugged it off; this wasn't new. Relaxing for a few days was already enough to make him forget how much he had to deal with death. Either way, one thing was certain though: Link didn't want to stand up. He felt perfectly fine lying on the floor at the moment. His entire body was tired from the excitement of a near death experience. As Link laid face down on the floor, he felt the ground start to shake, _By the three will I ever have a moment of peace?_ His ears twitched as he heard more gears clicking in his near vicinity. Link groaned and forced himself to sit up. He was thoroughly finished with the goddesses' nonsense, _I just survived falling into a bottomless pit. I just survived falling into a bottomless pit,_ he repeated to himself, _Am I forgetting something? _He thought for a moment before his eyes widened and realized what had just happened. 

Link quickly got up and dusted himself off, "Sky! Rinku!" he shouted as he whipped his head around to see the both of them crossing what appeared to be a rickety looking bridge across the endless abyss. He breathed a sigh of relief before remembering how unstable the rails had been, "Be careful!" 

Both of them seemed to try and rush across the bridge to meet him, "You almost died!" Sky shouted back. Both siblings were about halfway across the bridge. Rinku tried to say something, but Sky cut him off before he could get a word in, "Don't lecture us about safety you stupid plant!" 

_Stupid plant? What does he have against the color green? _"Just be careful! That bridge could be as unstable as those rails!"

They were already three-fourths of the way across the bridge, "It probably is," Rinku said.

"I really hope you're wrong," Sky commented.

"You don't have a shred of common sense," Rinku added, "Basic common sense could come up to you, hit you in the face, and you still wouldn't know what it was."

"I won't take this from an overemotional crybaby."

"I won't take this from someone who can't handle spicy food. You were redder than-"

"It was one time, Hylia dammit!"

"Actually," Rinku replied in a very matter of fact voice, "it was-" 

Link could swear his eyes were about to roll out of his skull, "Just finish getting across the damn bridge." 

"Patience is a virtue," Sky told Link as he stepped back onto solid ground. 

"Absolutely rich coming from you," Rinku told Sky as he walked towards him. 

"You've both taken twenty years off my life," Link said, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Thirty," Sky reliped, "Take it or leave it. We're both worth more than just twenty years."

Link couldn't help but chuckle at Sky's statement. 

"On the bright side, I feel like we're getting close to the end of this tunnel," Rinku commented.

"Thank Hylia," Sky said, "I can't wait to actually breathe some fresh air." 

"Well," Link said happily, "what are we waiting for?" he began to walk in the direction the tunnel headed, followed by his companions. 

"Do you think there's anything else we should worry about?" Link asked Rinku about five minutes after they started heading forward. 

"Not that I remember," he answered, "But I wouldn't take my word for it. So many things have already been added here."

Link thought for a moment, "Do you have any idea why more traps were added here?" _These traps are obviously meant to stop anyone from crossing this tunnel. Hytopia isn't that dangerous. Petty and vindictive? Absolutely. But not dangerous as long as you paid attention and kept your guard up. Why would anyone think of adding traps in a place like this? The entrance of this tunnel was buried for a long time. Why bother adding traps to something that isn't being used? And how come the previous traps seemed to be made for three people?_

Rinku thought for a moment, "Maybe it's because someone thought this tunnel would be used in the future?"

Link remembered something, "Doesn't nearly no one know about this route?"

"Well," Rinku seemed to panic slightly, "yes?" he said in an unconvincing voice. 

Link's eyes narrowed. 

"Oh, get over it," Sky quickly said, "It's probably nothing."

"It's never 'just nothing'," Link added, _Every time something mildly suspicious happens, it always leads to something. This feels like a bad sign. I should have hurried. Who knows how much time has passed while we've been traveling here. Am I overthinking things again? But what if I'm not overthinking? What if there IS some dangerous thing coming? What if we're all doomed? Now that I think about it, this tunnel feels like it's getting tighter Am I just imagining things? What if this tunnel collapses? I can't even- _

"Hytopia to Link!" Sky shouted while waving his hand in Link's face. 

"What?" Link said in a surprised tone. He noticed how his pace had gotten faster.

"You weren't answering," Sky told him, "I tried to talk to you. Rinku tried to talk to you," Sky gestured to this brother, "You just kinda...Were in your own world for a minute." 

"And stop walking so fast!" Rinku added on. 

"Oh," Link said quietly, "Sorry," he could swear his cheeks were getting warm. 

“As I was saying," Sky continued, "We have more important things to worry about. We'll figure things out when we get to the next puzzle or an exit."

Nothing could be heard except footsteps for the next few minutes. 

"What's Hyrule like?" Rinku broke the silence. 

"Oh," Link wasn't sure how to answer, "It's...uhh...nice."

"Could you be any less specific?" Sky joked, "I think we should know more about the place you're smuggling us to." 

Link sighed, "Hyrule is warmer than Hytopia. No wonder your clothes are so layered and frilly here," he thought about his home kingdom, "The people there are pretty helpful. There's plenty of places you can travel to."

"I heard there was a place called 'Death Mountain' in Hyrule," Rinku brought up, "Is it true?"

"Yes," Link remembered the lynels and boulders that nearly killed him many times, "It lives up to it's name. The volcano can cause rocks to fall and the place is full of monsters. It not a great place to be but, you'll do what you have to do."

"You went there?" Rinku asked.

"I did," Link remembered climbing to the top of the Tower of Hera. The wind was crisp and cold at such a high altitude. The view from the tower was breathtaking, Link was sure he was looking down upon all of Hyrule. He remembered the excitement he felt finally getting the Pendant of Power. He felt like a fool for thinking the rest of his quest would be that easy. If he could go back and warn his younger self, he would. 

The two went silent for a moment. 

"Please tell me we aren't going there," Sky muttered. 

"Definitely not," Link answered.

The uncomfortable silence started once more. 

"I don't get it." Sky quickened his pace so he could be right next to Link.

"Don't get what? What is there to get?"

"Why would you ever go to a place like that? Is there any treasure there?"

"I guess you could say that."

"What amount of rupees could be worth going up a mountain called 'Death Mountain'."

"I wasn't looking for rupees," _Not until Ravio showed up and started selling items. I should have brought some of them with me. It would've been really helpful. _

"Then for what?"

Link didn't answer. 

"It wasn't something really illegal, was it?"

"Stop prying so much," Rinku told Sky.

Sky rolled his eyes.

"No," Link answered, "It wasn't illegal," _At least I don't think it was. _

"Sky!" Rinku whispered to him, "You can't always be rude!"

"You're allowed to ask questions!" Sky whispered back. 

"You know I can hear you, right?" Link whispered to both of them, "Besides, it doesn't matter," he said with his voice in a normal volume. All that adventuring was behind him. He would go home and finish learning how to be a proper blacksmith. _I'll do my job then die when my time inevitably comes. _

"I think it does matter," Sky insisted. 

Rinku shot Sky a "you better stop right this instant" glance. It was the kind of look you would give to a cat who was about to knock a vase over.

"Why does it matter to you?" Link asked.

"It matters if you constantly put yourself in danger. If you're going to risk your neck, it better be for a good reason."

Link wasn't sure how to respond, "It was for a good reason." _Saving Hyrule was a good reason. Saving Lorule was a good reason. _

Sky was about to ask another question but Link interrupted him. 

"Look at that," Link said quickly, "We're at the next puzzle so, we should focus on that," Link quickened his pace. 

"Where?" Sky caught up to Link.

Link was thankful they had arrived at the next puzzle at such a convenient time. There were two dull orbs on tall platforms in front of some iron bars. 

"How are we supposed to reach those?" Rinku wondered. 

"It's too high!" Sky yelled in frustration, "Of course it has to be out of reach!"

"Actually," Link realized there was a simple solution, "Do you remember the totem?"

"...Oh Hylia, I remember," Rinku sounded embarrassed. 

Sky had a sudden realization, "I think I know where this is going and I don't like it."

"Why'd we all have to be so short?" Rinku muttered.

"Let's just get this over with," Sky rolled his eyes. 

Link sighed, "I'll carry the both of you. Who's going to be at the top of the totem?"

"Me!" Sky and Rinku shouted at the same time. 

"You?" Sky stared at Rinku, "I'll have you know that-"

"That you could always lift heavier things than me during training?" Rinku asked innocently. 

Sky's cheeks turned as red as his brother's tunic.

Link was able to pass his laugh as a cough. He never fought this much with Gulley, even though they were practically siblings growing up. 

"Stop being lazy," Rinku chided Sky.

"For once I regret being better at something than you," Sky commented. 

"Alright then," Link gave his sword to Rinku,"Sky, pick him up."

Sky groaned but, did as he was told.

_This is just like all those others puzzles I solved a few days ago. _Link carefully picked up Sky and did his best to maintain balance. Even then, his legs shook as he carefully approached the first platform. _This is a lot harder to do with real people. _

Rinku swung Link's sword and hit the orb, making it turn a light blue. With the amount pressure Sky was suddenly exerting on his shoulders, Link swore Rinku nearly fell over. 

"I'm fine!" Rinku did almost fall over. 

"Watch it! You'll knock us all over!" Sky was clearly annoyed.

_I can't believe these two actually had some kind of training. _Link grunted, his shoulders and arms were already starting to ache. _I should have brought the titan's mitts. _He walked to the second tower with shaking legs. Thank Hylia these things were close to each other. 

Thankfully, Rinku was able to hit the orb without nearly knocking everyone over this time. The iron bars dropped after the second orb started to glow. The doorway was too small for the three to go through while they were in a totem formation.

"So, how to we get down?" Sky asked. 

"I could throw you down," Link suggested. 

"You better not."

"It's fine," Rinku had an idea,"I'll just climb down slowly."

"Oh second thought, Link, throw us,"Sky was getting impatient, "Just get us down, please."

"I don't think I've ever heard you say please before," Rinku commented.

"Shut up."

"Fine, I'll throw you down," Link remembered all the puzzles he had solved with the doppels' help. _This is just like that. The main difference is that these are actual humans and that they have bones that could potentially break. _Link tightened his grip on Sky ankles and put all his strength into getting him off his shoulders

"Ow!" Sky yelped. He barely managed to land standing. 

"Are you okay? Was I-"

"I'm fine," Sky assured Link,"My ankles hurt a bit, but I'll be fine. Now get off me." Sky threw Rinku onto the ground.

Rinku didn't stick the landing. "Ow!" He somehow fell on his side, "Why are you always like this?" Rinku was clearly annoyed. He got up and turned his back towards Sky. "Some of us have standards." He crossed his arms, still holding Link's sword. His tone of voice made him sound like a disappointed parent or teacher. 

"I barely did anything to you," Sky complain.

"You threw me onto the ground!"

Link thought he should intervene before they start fighting and they started losing more time, "We might have some more puzzles ahead of us so we should probably get going," he walked over to his bickering teammates and stood between them. 

"Fine," Sky agreed.

"Here," Rinku gave Link his sword back, "That sword has really good craftsmanship. When I get to Hyrule I need to get a sword that's just like that."

"Oh," Link was caught off guard by the compliment,"Thanks, I know where to get you one."

"Let me guess," Sky interjected, "The guy you're apprenticed to with make it?"

"Best swords in all of Hyrule," Link said proudly, "I had to deliver a sword to the captain of the guard once."

"Do you have friends in high places?" Sky asked curiously.

"I wouldn't call them 'friends'," Link knew Zelda and Impa wouldn't mind him bringing two people who needed help to Hyrule," More like, 'close acquaintances'."

"Don't worry about him," Rinku told Link, "I'll make sure he doesn't try to do something blatantly illegal."

"It was ONE time, dammit." 

Link really wanted to know more about this indecent. 

"He almost burned a house down," Rinku told him, "I've never trusted him with fire gloves since."

"Can we get going now? We still have a tunnel to get through," Sky tried to change the subject.

"Sky has a point. We should hurry," Link agreed. 

As they walked into the next chamber, they saw that they had another totem puzzle to solve. At first, everything was fine. Rinku hit the orbs and managed to avoid nearly falling over and taking everyone else with him. He hit the two orbs without any problems. Then a problem began to emerge when Link noticed that the final orb was in the middle of a pillar in a chasm. 

_I should have brought a bow. _

"Now what?" asked Sky. 

"That's a good question," Link answered. 

"Maybe the chasm is an illusion?" Rinku suggested. 

"What?" Link and Sky blurted out simultaneously. 

"I think I've read about these. There is a path, its just invisible."

"Sure, maybe that's what's going on, but how are we supposed to know where the path is?" Sky questioned, "We don't even know if there actually is a path there."

By this point, Link was getting very tired of carrying his teammates. He made a suggestion, "Why don't I put both of you down and we can figure it out from there?"

"Oh," Rinku said sounding embarrassed, "I didn't realize you were starting to get tired."

"Red," Sky said bluntly, "He's literally shaking like a leaf."

"Don't call me red! And for your information, I can't tell what's going on down there from up here."

"Are you done yet?" Link asked. He could swear he was about to lose feeling in his legs. 

"Yes," Rinku said quickly, "Sorry."

Link sighed and put Sky down as carefully as he could. 

"That was a smoother landing than last time," Sky commented. 

Link stretched his aching muscles knowing he would probably have a horrible time tomorrow. 

"Is there any debris in here?" Rinku asked, already starting to look around the room as soon as he got on the ground, "I want to use debris to find out if there's actually a path there. If I throw something and it floats, it will be pretty obvious that there's a way across."

"Good idea," said Sky. 

"There has to be an easier way to do this," Link thought back to all the temples and dungeons he went through. The only one he could really think of having many invisible paths was the Dark Palace. Those paths could be revealed using light, or rather a lack of light, "Can you turn the lights in this room off?"

"Why would we do that?" Rinku asked, "We might accidentally fall in the chasm or run into a wall."

"Yeah," Blue added, "Why would you even suggest that?"

"Give me a chance to explain," Link wondered how he was going to word this, "A while back, I had to go to a place that had ledges and paths that led to seemingly nowhere and rooms that were just bottomless pits. The secret to getting around the place was to change the level of light in the room. No light, and you could see paths that were once invisible. Too much light, and those paths disappeared."

"I've never heard of that," Rinku replied, he sounded interested. 

"What kind of place is Hyrule?" Sky asked. 

"So, how can you get the lights to turn off?" Link asked again. 

Rinku thought for a moment, "I'm not sure." 

The underground tunnel was illuminated by several electric lights in each room. The lights were mainly on the walls and where tall enough that one person alone couldn't reach them. 

"Rinku, I'll pick you up again so you can look at the lights," Link said. _Thank the goddesses that there aren't any lights too close to the chasm._

"Good idea," Rinku replied. 

"Oh no you don't" Sky turned to Link, "You're the one that's been carrying two people. You take a break and we to the work this time."

Link felt it embarrassed, he felt like it was his obligation to do the most work, "It's fine. I don't mind doing-"

"No, I insist," Sky started walking towards his brother, "And don't get used to this! This is only because you're not useful if you're tired."

"Shut up," Rinku blurted, he elbowed Sky, "You do care after all."

Sky's face reddened, "I do not!" 

"You do!"

"Do not!"

"Are either of you going to get the lights?" Link wondered. 

"Yeah, are you going to get the lights?" Sky asked Rinku. 

Rinku looked ready to tell at him, "First of all-"

"You're both acting like children!" Link yelled, "If you two can't work together, then just let me do this."

"Alright! We get it!" Sky raised his hands in surrender before quickly crossing them again. He was surprised to see Link lose his temper like that. 

"Come on, Sky. We're wasting time," Rinku gave Link his sword back and led Sky over to one of the lights. 

_Finally_, Link was tired, more tired than he had felt in a while. He sat down next to the entrance of the room, quite a distance away from any of the lights. He could feel his eyes struggling to stay open. He realized how cold the tunnel suddenly felt as the darkness surrounded him. 

Meanwhile, Rinku was sitting on top of Sky shoulders, examining the lights. He noticed that there was a hatch keeping the lights in the wall protected. The glass-like material outside of the light felt warm. Rinku tried to carefully get the hatch loose, he was aware of how old this place was, one wrong move could break the hatch and leave them with no choice but to use Link's sword to forcefully break them open. 

"Any luck?" Sky asked.

"No," Rinku felt like he was close to figuring out the trick that would open the small hatch. Once he could figure out one, he could open the rest. 

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of them, "Did Link fall asleep?" Sky asked. He turned his head to where Link was sitting. He was propped against the wall with his eyes closed. 

Rinku turned his head to look at him, "Probably," he went back to toying with the hatch, "He's probably tired."

"Physically or emotionally?"

"Both."

"Did you ever see him sleep?" Sky asked, "While he was traveling through Hytopia," he added on. 

"Now that I think about it, I don't think I did."

"He's weirdly knowledgeable about a lot of convenient things, don't you think? It's suspicious."

"Are you saying we can't trust him?"

"No, of course not," even Sky could see that Link wanted to help them, "I'm saying we should be careful."

Rinku didn't respond. 

Sky's tone softened, "I know you want to think he's a good person but, we still don't know much about him."

Rinku's tone was harsh, "And he doesn't know much about us." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as I could. I felt bad about not updating for a while. The good news is that I know exactly what direction I want the story to go in. Anyway, I hope you have a good day! I appreciate your time.


	10. Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group continues going forward. Link learns something new while Sky and Rinku discuss an important issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. I'm pretty sure this is my longest chapter so far. I hope you enjoy!

It was cold, freezing cold. The terrible chill was suffocating. It was colder than the highest peak in Lorule, colder than the depths of a palace made of ice. He just wanted to curl up next to a fireplace. Link felt like he was losing feeling in his arms and legs. He could barely move his fingers; it was like they were made of stone and covered in ice. He desperately looked around him, trying to find something, anything. It was just a dark, empty void. Link felt like there was a heavy weight on his chest that was only increasing in size. He wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to keep what little warmth he had left. 

"Is anyone here?!" he cried out. He didn't care if he was met with a beast, anything was better than this empty and cold abyss.

His only answer was silence.

Link felt like he had been alone for years, with only the company of his own thoughts. _This must be what hell feels like_, he thought to himself, _How did I get here? _Link couldn't remember, _Well, __I won't get out of here by panicking._ Link tried to steady himself; he had been cold before and he tried to convince himself that his was no different. He separated himself from the feelings of fear that were trying to drown him. _I was with Sky and Rinku and we - well, they were working on turning the lights off. I hope they're alright. What if something bad has happened to them already? What if they got hurt? No - I have to trust them. They aren't little kids. _Link looked around again, trying to find an exit, _The last thing I remember was closing my_ _eyes_, Link wondered what that meant. He realized,_ This isn't real - none of this is real. _It felt like a weight was lifted off of Link's chest. He had very little to fear if this was just a dream.

He remembered the time Zelda told him that, sometimes, when the land was in danger, the chosen hero and princess would begin to have prophetic dreams. _This might be one of those dreams. _Link thought back to when he dreamed of fighting a large beast right before his first adventure through Hyrule and Lorule. _That's the only other dream I can remember but, I feel like I'm forgetting something. _Link had felt this cold before. He swiftly recognized the freezing chill when he tried to remember his most recent dream. It didn't make any sense to him. The cold void, the destruction of Hytopia's Castle Town, and that giant beast. _Is Hytopia destined for calamity? I defeated Maud, saved the princess, and defeated some monsters. What could I be missing?_ Link felt like pulling his hair out. He felt selfish for needing a break. He reminded himself that this was his purpose, first and foremost, and that he shouldn't complain. _I really should just ask Sky and Rinku. I'm pretty sure they've lived in Hytopia for their entire lives, even if it has been a while since they've been able to walk around or travel freely. _

Link had idea of what was going on. Yet, the feeling of sheer terror lingered, it was like something was waiting to pounce from the shadows. He had nothing to fear, _Why do I feel so scared? Is this even my own fear?_ Link wondered if it was even possible to feel another person fear this intensely, _Why would someone be so scared? Is there a monster here?_ Link looked around. There was nothing new. The abyss was as dark and empty as it always was. _If there was a monster, it would have made itself known by now...Is it me that's causing this? _The empty void suddenly didn't feel so cold anymore. _Am I someone's monster? _

Link took a deep breath, _I don't know who's here or why but, I can try to find out, _maybe presenting himself again would help, "Hello?" he sounded much calmer this time, "I know you're here somewhere. I'm not here to cause any harm," he waited for an answer.

Silence. 

"Look, I know you're scared. I don't know why you feel this way," Link spoke into the abyss, "I'd like to know why and I can try to help...if you let me," Link reached his hand out into the darkness, as if he expected something, or someone, to grab it. 

Nothing. 

Link began to pull his hand back until he felt a frigid presence grasp his hand. Link briefly wondered if it was someone else's hand. He certainly couldn't see anyone. At least, not until he saw a vaguely human shaped silhouette begin to weakly glow. 

Link's first instinct was was to pull his hand back and quickly back away from whatever was taking shape in front of him; Link ignored this instinct. After all, who was he to deny someone's request for help? The human shaped silhouette had a tight grip on Link's hand, like a child hanging onto their parent's hand for comfort. The apparition slowly solidified, although its - no, their - face was still a blur but the clothes this person was wearing were clearly purple. Link felt the grip on his hand continue to tighten as a human began to take form in front of him - a human that looked suspiciously like Rinku and Sky. 

~~~~

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two siblings. Sky waited for Rinku to open the hatch. 

"Done," Rinku breathed a sigh of relief, "You have to twist it in a specific way in order to get it open. There's something off about this metal though. Do you think Link would know more about it? With him being an apprentice to a blacksmith and all?"

Sky shrugged to the best of his ability, "Blacksmiths work with swords and other weapons. I couldn't see any blacksmith making something like this."

"I'll just ask him another time," Rinku decided. He looked back at Link, "Should we wake him up?"

"He's fine," Sky insisted, "Let's just open the rest of the lights."

"Hey! Don't move! I still need to see if I can turn them off! Be patient," Rinku began to toy with the wiring that kept the light lit.

"You aren't the one carrying someone," Sky grumbled. 

Rinku was careful to make sure he didn't touch anything that could shock him, and by extension his brother. The wires were a tangled mess and clearly outdated. It was no wonder wires and electricity in general weren't used often; it was a nightmare to work with this stuff, "This might take a bit longer."

"Of course this has to take longer," Sky complained, "Can't you just use Link's sword to cut the wires?"

"And risk electrocution? I don't know if you know this, but swords are made of metal," Rinku said in a condescending tone, "And metal conducts-"

"Yeah, yeah I get it, just hurry up," Sky's back was starting to ache. He didn't give Link enough credit for carrying two people.

Rinku hummed a familiar tune as he worked on deactivating the light while Sky was wondering how much time had passed. The next few minutes were quiet, the most noticeable sound in the tunnel was the gentle hum of electricity. 

"...And done!" Rinku exclaimed in success as the area darkened, "Who knew a little light would take so much work to turn off?" he sounded proud of himself. 

"That's great and all but, uhh...will you literally get off my back?" Sky hated having to carry his brother but, who else was going to do it?

"Fine," Rinku jumped off of Sky's shoulders, landing on both of his feet, "Now that I know how to access the lights and deactivate them, the other ones should be a cinch!" 

"That's great but be quiet!" Sky shushed him, "You'll wake up the weed."

"The weed?" Rinku didn't understand what Sky was talking about. 

Sky dropped his face into his hands, "I meant Link. I'd thought you'd know that-"

"He is not a weed!" Rinku replied defensibly. 

"It's just a nickname," Sky tried to explain himself. 

"Well, it's not a nice nickname," Rinku shot back. 

"Fine," Sky cleared his throat, "I apologize for calling him an unwanted plant," he jokingly threw his hands into the air as if he were surrendering. 

Rinku was still upset. 

Sky sighed and crossed his arms, "Good grief, I'll stop calling him nicknames," he compromised, "...for now."

"Just stop being so rude to him," Rinku chided.

"Link doesn't seem to mind," Sky pointed out. 

"It doesn't matter. It's still rude," Rinku couldn't believe they were actually arguing about this, "Your big mouth is going to get us into trouble again someday."

"Rinku...You know I didn't mean it like that," Sky started feeling guilty. 

"Then start saying what you mean," Rinku wanted to drop the subject, "Look, just stop being so...crass."

"I'm 'crass'?" Sky's tone darkened. 

Rinku's voice grew louder, "You know exactly what I'm trying to say! I just wish you'd be more considerate. I thought maybe you would have learned your lesson but you haven't changed one bit!" Rinku exclaimed out of frustration.

"And neither have you," Sky responded coldly. 

Rinku voice tightened, "I'm doing everything I can to try and get us to a safe and you-"

"You want us to run and hide and lie to other people. You claim that I'm inconsiderate yet you put people in danger because it doesn't suit your best interest. You're such a hypocrite and a coward," Sky's words stung. 

Rinku balled his fists. He could feel his nails digging into his palms, "At least I try to do what's right. You know I just want to help-"

Sky could feel his heart pounding in his chest, "You, of all people, can't lecture me about 'what's right'."

Rinku started to tear up. He decided this argument wasn't worth it, he felt awful for starting this, "I don't want to get into this right now. Let's just finish with the lights. I'm sorry even I brought it up. I shouldn't have," he struggled to get through what he was saying without having his voice break.

Sky looked like he was going to say something even worse but, he said nothing. He thought carefully about his next words, "I'm sorry too," his tone was genuine, "I shouldn't have brought up anything either," He looked back at Link, who was still fast asleep, "You know, he'll find out eventually, no matter what you do."

Rinku didn't respond. 

"I thought you were the one who wanted to trust Link but, here you are now," Sky pointed out, "Ironic."

"This is different though. I don't think he would understand. Besides, we might put him in more danger," Rinku tried to explain himself.

"I think he deserves to know who he's smuggling to a different kingdom. As much as I hate to say it," Sky voice softened, "we kind of owe him one."

"I hate when you're right," Rinku groaned. 

"Honestly, I don't understand why you don't want to tell him we're Hytopia's heroes. Wouldn't that make us look better?" Sky questioned. 

"He wouldn't treat us the same," Rinku said pessimistically, "He might expect more from us."

"You sound selfish," Sky told Rinku bluntly, "You're putting Link in danger because of how you want him to see you."

"I..." Rinku didn't know how to respond, "Maybe I'm being selfish but, he might..." he paused, racking his mind to try to come up with something to say, "He'll be put in more danger if he knows," Rinku hastily responded. 

"You don't even believe what you're saying," Sky's voice had a disappointed undertone, "He'll be in more danger if he doesn't know what to expect. Our enemies might still be out there and they might go after Link since he's the one helping us. I'm not saying he can't defend himself," he added on, "Link traveled around Hytopia and fought all kinds of beasts. I have to hand it to him, he doesn't look like a warrior but he sure fights like one. Besides, aren't you forgetting something?"

Rinku didn't have an answer. He had a confused look on his face. 

"Link's Hytopia's new hero, remember? We're his predecessors," Sky told his brother, "I think he, of all people, would understand."

Rinku lowered his voice, "Is he really Hytopia's new hero?"

"Of course he is," Sky snapped, "Why else would he be in the Drablands fighting monsters in order to defeat a witch and save the princess?" 

"But what if-"

"Stop it!" Sky cut Rinku off, "Listen here, idiot, he faced plenty of beasts in the Drablands. He did all of that with us, even if he didn't realize it. We saw almost everything! Is he _really_ the type of person to be careless or overly reckless?"

"No," Rinku admitted quietly, "Also, what did I saw about the _creative_ nicknames."

"Alright, alright," Sky paused, which Rinku found unusually for him. He normally didn't pause this much when speaking, "I still think we should tell him the truth. I may have...overreacted when we first met," Sky clearly struggled to admit that he was wrong. His words came out quieter and slower than usual, "But I think he means well."

"I never thought I'd see the day you would admit you overreacted about something," Rinku said smugly, his serious expression left his face for a moment but, it quickly returned. His hand moved to the back of his head, a habit that even after fifty years, still hadn't gone away, "You're right. I am putting all of us in danger. We should tell him."

Sky smiled, "I'm glad we're on the same page. Now, let's finish the lights. We can tell him after we're done here."

"Yeah, of course," Rinku responded hesitantly. He eyed the light closest to them and hoped it would be easy to open and deactivate. 

~~~~

Link couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was like he was looking at a copy of Sky or Rinku - or by extension himself. The only difference was that this boy's tunic was a deep purple with patches of green; it reminded Link of a quilt of sorts. He noticed how his eyes were slightly red and puffy, _Was he crying? _and his eyes had dark bags under them. Link did is best to hide is startled look, he didn't want to come off as rude or hostile. 

The figure before Link took a shaky breath, "I don't know who you are or why you're here of all places," he paused and took another breath, "but, I need your help," he pulled his hand away and took a few steps away from Link, never meeting his gaze. 

"Of course," Link said almost instantly. He'd help anyone in need and the person that stood before him needed it. 

"Really? Just like that?" the look-alike sounded extremely confused, "Don't you...want something?" he sounded cautious.

"I don't want anything - except to help out where I can," Link added on. His voice had a hint of confidence to it. Back in Hyrule, Link would use his false confidence to ensure that people didn't panic or lose hope; if he acted confident, people would usually assume the situation was under control even if it wasn't. He hoped his false confidence didn't come off the wrong way in Hytopia.

"You seen awfully calm about being here and doing this," his voice was full of caution. 

_It could be worse. I could be getting stabbed or getting turned into a painting against my will,_ "There's always worse," Link said awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his head. _It feels like we've met before. I don't know where...maybe it's because he looks just like me. _

Link's look-alike shook his head, "I won't ask. I'll take my chance to get out of here," his voice was much firmer, "How did you even get here? You really shouldn't be here."

"Well..." Link wasn't sure how to explain it was an accident that brought him here, "The last thing I remember was closing my eyes," _I'm not lying._

"So you...can't remember?" he sounded upset. The look-alike sighed deeply, "Great, just great," he dropped his head into his hands. 

A long silence followed.

The look-alike looked up and wrung his hands, "I may have been a bit...rude," he place extra emphasis on that last word, "I apologize for acting out like that."

"Oh, it's nothing," Link had dealt with much worse, besides, he reasoned to himself, _He probably just wants to get out of this awful place._

"I'm Cassian," he stated plainly, "Who are you?"

"I'm Link. Now, what do you need help with?"

"I already said I want to get out of here," Cassian gestured to the darkness around him, "But first," he looked closely at Link's face, "Why do you look like...like _that_?"

_This is just like when I first met Sky and Rinku, _"I've always looked like this. I was born with this face."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Cassian continued to stare intensely as Link.

Link was suspicious, _Does he think I used dark magic? He's reminds me of Sky, _"By any chance, do you know two other people who look very similar if not exactly like you...or rather us?" 

Cassian's eyes widen, "That's none of your concern," his tone was defensive. He crossed his arms, "Look, Link, are you going to help me or not?"

Link mind was racing with thoughts. Cassian's response only raised more questions, _Does Cassian know Sky or Rinku? Are they triplets? Why is he in here of all places? _As much as Link wanted to pry, he knew helping Cassian was more important, _It's not my place to ask. I can't explain it but, we have definitely met before. _Link felt like there was something inheritable trustworthy about Cassian, something he could exactly put into words, "Yes," he answered, "But-"

"Great," Cassian quickly blurted out. He scanned Link's face again, "Have we...met before?" 

Link hesitated to give an answer, "You're the first 'Cassian' I've met."

"I could have swore we've met before," Cassian said, clearly annoyed he couldn't remember the exact details. 

"Maybe it's because we look alike," Link suggested. 

"Never mind," Cassian shook his head, he seemed to regret bring up the subject, "Now, about getting me out of here..."

"Do you remember how you got here?" Link asked. He looked around the void pointlessly, "Where even are we?"

Cassian looked away from Link, "How I got here isn't important right now."

Link thought he might have struck a nerve. 

"But...I think you're in my head," Cassian saw Link's confused expression and tried to explain, "I know it sounds weird but there's no way you're actually physically here. Technically, I'm also not physically here."

"What does that even mean?" Link was clearly very confused. He knew he was dreaming, and therefore, not physically present. _Is this Cassian's dream too?_

"Well, my physical body is...somewhere but, my mind is here. Sometimes I'll return to my physical body for a while before being stuck back here," he saw that Link still looked confused. Cassian elaborated, "I can't stay in my physical body for long periods of time - at least not for long consciously. When I run out of energy, I'm sent back here. This isn't a physical location."

"So you want to get back to your physical body?" Link had a bad feeling in his gut, like he had heard of something relatively similar happening to someone else.

"Yes," Cassian answered, "I thought I made that clear enough," he said, annoyed. 

Link decided to ask another question to clear things up. Cassian's resemblance to Sky and Rinku was in no way a coincidence to Link, "So, just wondering but, are your memories from when you are in your physical body...blurry?" 

"...Yes," he hesitantly answered, "Why do you ask?" Cassian looked nervous, like Link knew too much.

Link felt a lump form in his throat. Sky and Rinku had blurry memories until they got their actual bodies back. He really didn't like the conclusions he was coming up with, "Do you, by any chance, happen to know what a doppel is?" Link hoped this question wasn't crossing the line. 

Cassian became visibly uncomfortable. 

_Oh no. I think I messed up. But where would a third doppel even be? _Link remembered the abandoned doppel in Hytopia's Castle Town, _Oh fu-_

"Yes," Cassian answered uncomfortably. He looked more restless, "Why are you asking these questions? What kind of game are you playing?" he sounded angry, yet scared as well, "If this is some kind of trap-"

"No! I know your concerned - and you have every right to be - but, I think I know where your physical body is," Link tried to explain. 

Cassian did his best to keep his composure, "How - Why do you know all of this stuff already? This must be some kind of cruel joke."

"I promise I'm trying to help," Link couldn't believe he had forgotten about the abandoned doppel. He felt like a fool, "Look, I might ask a question that will make you very uncomfortable."

"I know you will," Cassian stood in front of Link and met his gaze, "Just get it over with."

"Do you know two people who are named Sky and Rinku?" Link asked carefully. 

Cassian looked like someone had slapped him, "How do you know them?" his voice was shaky and he looked paralyzed with fear, "Did something...bad happen?"

"I swear it's not as bad as it sounds. They're both fine," _Last I checked. _Link wanted more time to explain himself.

"I have several questions," Cassian looked like he was about to lose what was left of his composure. 

"I know," Link also had several questions. _Do Sky and Rinku know about Cassian? _"And I'll do my best to explain."

The following silence was deafening. Cassian did his best to gather his thoughts, "I don't even know what to ask...I guess it's just strange hearing about them now of all times."

"That's alright," Link said. He didn't want to violate Sky and Rinku's privacy by telling Cassian they had been doppels. He didn't think that was his story to tell, "I think we should just focus on getting you out of here first," Link suggested. 

"Are you on good terms with them?" Cassian 

"We're on good terms," Link answered honestly, "We were traveling together before I got here".

Cassian laughed bitterly, "Ha! Just great! You're my replacement," he shook his head. 

"What?" Link sounded concerned, "I don't understand."

"They never told you about me?" Cassian sounded offended. 

"In their defense, we only met recently," Link was sure there must have been a good reason neither of them brought up Cassian, _This must be very personal. Hylia, I feel like I'm hearing about something I shouldn't know. It's like I'm invading someone's privacy, _"Maybe they just-"

"You look just me! It wouldn't shock me if you were made to replace me," Cassian looked at Link's green tunic, "You're even the right color."

Link was only more confused, "What does color have to do with any of this? I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding."

"Keeping you in the dark...They really haven't changed one bit," his voice was full of bitterness and resentment. He sounded defeated. Tears were threatening to spill of out his eyes. 

"I know you're upset. I don't know exactly why but, I still want to help," Link slowly moved his hand onto Cassian's shoulder, "I don't think it's my place to pry about went when on between you three so, I won't ask," Link paused. 

Cassian opened his mouth to interrupt his fully green counterpart but, he shut it. He couldn't think of a response. 

"I think I know where your physical body is," Link gently explained, "Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to get you back to it."

Cassian took a moment to process what he heard, "Well, at least that's one good thing," he sniffled. 

Link found it uncanny how similar Cassian sounded to Rinku in that moment.

"You're a lot like them," Cassian broke the silence, "I should be happy for you."

"Don't worry about those two right now," Link tried to comfort him, "You're the one we should focus on right now."

Cassian collected himself to the best of his ability, "Where did you say my body was?"

"In Castle Town, specifically, in the northeast corner," Link calmly explained, "I used to pass by there quite a bit. I'd wipe the dust off of the doppel sometimes. I didn't know you were actual in there."

"So that's where I've seen you before. That's why you look so familiar," Cassian said, "Ignoring the fact that you look like Sky and Rinku," he added.

"Do you have any ideas of how to get your body back?" Link asked patiently. 

Cassian racked his brain, trying to come up with a plan.

~~~~

"Link! Can you hear me? Wake up! Please, get up!" Rinku yell. His hands tightly grasped Link's shoulders. He tried to shake Link awake. Link wasn't waking up.

"Rinku!" Sky shouted at his brother, getting his attention, "Look at me."

Rinku turned his head towards Sky. Even in the dim room, his eyes looked ready to release a waterfall of tears at any moment, "He - He isn't-" 

"Calm down," Sky knelt next to Rinku, "He'll wake up eventually."

Rinku felt his throat tightening, "But-"

"He's a normal Hylian, remember? There isn't anything unusual or unnatural about him. He'll be fine. He just might be a heavy sleeper," Sky tried to explain, "There's no need to worry," Sky sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince his brother.

~~~~

"It's fine. I can try to come up with a plan," Link wondered if Cassian was trapped as a doppel for as long as Sky and Rinku were, _Probably._

"No, I think I have an idea," Cassian looked determined. He wouldn't waste this chance. He grabbed both of Link's shoulders tightly, "This may sound insane but, hear me out. You need to get me, my doppel form, whatever you want to call it, to a safe place that won't be found. Do this during nighttime. You'll be harder to notice then and the guards usually slack off."

Link nodded. He understood Cassian's plan so far.

"After that, you need to get inside the castle. It doesn't matter how, just don't be seen. You need to find the royal wizard, you'll know him when you see him. Take his staff and whatever you do, DO NOT let him catch you," Cassian voice was strained and desperate, "It's better to be caught by the royal guards than that maniac," he warned. 

Link nodded again, more intensely this time. He wasn't sure why Cassian warned him about the wizard but, Link heeded his warning. 

"Take that staff to wherever you hid me and use it. I'm not sure how but, I think you'll figure it out eventually."

Link opened his mouth to explain he wasn't experienced with casting magic with a staff. 

Cassian cut him off before he had a chance to begin speaking, "I don't care if you have never used magic before. I'll take my chances."

"I understand but-"

"It's dangerous? Yes, it is," Cassian's voice hardened. 

"This seems very risky. I know the princess," Link explain, "Maybe I can ask her to get me that staff-"

"Absolutely not!" Cassian protested. 

"Please, listen for a moment. I can move you easily but sneaking into the palace and stealing from the royal wizard sounds like something that will only raise suspicion," Link explained, "I can ask for the staff, cast a spell, and be done with it."

Cassian's grip on Link tightened, "You can't be serious. There's no way-"

"Link!" a familar voice rung in the darkness. The ground began to shake and cracks began to appear in the void. 

"What's going on?" Cassian asked. He looked around and his grip on Link became even tighter. 

"Is that Rinku?" Link realized, "How long have I been asleep?"

"You were asleep?" Cassian asked.

"Wake up!" a different voice shouted. 

Cassian recognized that voice, "Sky," he said shakily. 

The ground began to shake harder. 

"I think I'm waking up," Link told him, "I'll do everything I can to help-"

"He still won't wake up," Rinku voice was quieter this time, but more desperate. 

"I can't believe you're already leaving," Cassian's voice trembled slightly. 

"I'm sure we will meet again," Link wrapped Cassian into a tight hug.

Cassian held on silently as the cracks in the void grew and the ground kept shaking. He pushed Link away and grabbed his shoulders again, "I hope we'll meet on better terms."

"We will," Link promised. In that moment, Link swore he saw Cassian smile, if only briefly. It was the last thing Link saw as everything faded to white. 

~~~~

"Why won't you wake up?!" Sky was shaking Link rather aggressive. He had told Rinku that there was nothing to worry about and that Link would be fine yet, no matter how much they shook him or yelled, he wouldn't wake. It was unnatural. At least he was still breathing - thank Farore. 

"Sky," Rinku wrung his hands out of nervousness. He wasn't sure how to say this, "Maybe he's-"

"Don't be so grim!" Sky barked, "His chest is still rising and falling. That's definitely a good sign."

Rinku didn't respond.

The silence was agonizing. Sky had stopped shaking Link; he held on to his shoulders tightly, Sky's eyes scanning for any signs that Link would be waking up. Rinku resorted to pacing back and forth. 

~~~~

Link wasn't sure what was going on. His vision was consumed by white until it faded to black. He didn't hear Sky or Rinku's voices shouting at him anymore. He cracked open his eyes. Link wasn't expected to be greeted by Sky where Cassian had just been.

"He's awake!" Sky exclaimed, his voice full of relief. 

"Thank the goddesses!" Rinku quickly ran over and knelt next to Sky, nearly pushing him out of the way, "Are you alright? Do you feel ill? Do you need medicine? Have you been-"

"What?" was the only thing Link could croak out. His mind was buzzing with even more questions. 

"You scared us!" Sky sounded a mix concerned and angry, "You weren't waking up. It didn't matter what we did, you just didn't respond."

"How long was I out?" Link asked groggily. He shakily stood up with Sky's help. His head felt like it was being pounded on. 

"Almost two hours!" Sky shouted angrily. 

"Two hours? There's no way it's been that long," Link said doubtfully, _Maybe time works differently when dreaming?_

"It's been two hours," Rinku said, "Two hours of worry and anxiety."

"Sorry, I must have lost track of time," Link responded, he rubbed the back of his head. He felt bad for making them worry. 

"All that matters is that you're awake now," said Rinku, "You really gave us a scare but, I guess you can't control you're own sleeping patterns, can you?"

"No, I was never very good at that," Link admitted. He looked around the room, "Is it dimmer in here or..." Link realized what it meant if the room was darker, "You turned the lights off?" he couldn't help put crack a smile, _I knew they could do it. _

"I did," Rinku sounded proud of himself, "It took some time but, I got it in the end!" he smiled. 

Link couldn't help but see Gulley when he looked at Rinku in that moment. He missed that kid. 

"You can still walk around, right?" Sky asked Link.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Link assured him, "Just let me stretch for a minute."

"Are you sure?" Rinku asked again, "You seem a bit-"

"I'm fine," Link insisted, he walked to where the finally pillar was while stretching his arms and back. 

Sky and Rinku followed closely behind. Both were talking in hushed whispers that Link couldn't hear. _At least they're getting better at whispering, _Link thought.

"You were right about a path appearing in the dark," Rinku told Link. He increased his pace so they would be beside each other, "I would have never thought of that."

"Oh, uhhh..." Link wasn't sure how to respond, "It was nothing." Link looked at where the bottomless pit once was. He saw a glowing white path that led to the pillar. He handed his sword to Rinku, "I'll carry you and Sky. You hit the orb on top."

"Got it," Rinku responded. 

"Alright, get over here," Sky said, "Let's get this over with," he turned to Link, "You know, I didn't give you enough credit for carrying two people."

Link was very surprised, he didn't think Sky would ever admit that. 

"Stop looking at me like that!" Sky walked over to Rinku, "After having to carry him around," Sky gestured to his brother, "I don't know how you make it look so easy." 

"I wasn't that difficult to carry!" Rinku blurted. 

"You don't even have to carry anyone!" Sky yelled back, "You try it and see how easy it is!"

"The puzzle..." Link grumbled. He pinched the bridge of his nose. 

Rinku and Sky stopped arguing. "Right, the puzzle," Rinku said awkwardly, "Sorry about that."

"Come on," Sky picked up Rinku fairly easily.

Link noticed that Sky and Rinku had much better balance this time around, _They must have gotten practice with those lights, _he thought before he picked both of them up. He walked up to the pillar. 

Rinku carefully swung the sword and hit the orb. Link could see the light blue glow from where he was standing. They all heard a familiar click and the soft whirl of gears they couldn't see. They heard the bars preventing them from moving forward move out of their way. 

Link made sure they were off the path and on solid ground before he got them off of his back, literally.

"Finally," Sky said as he threw Rinku off of him.

Rinku landed on both of his feet. He turned to face his teammates, "I don't about you but, I think we're getting pretty good at this," he walked over to Link and gave him his sword back, "I have a feeling we'll be out of here pretty soon."

"What makes you say that?" Link asked. 

"Just a feeling," Rinku said innocently. 

He wondered about what he would do after he got out of the tunnel. The very thought of Cassian worried him, "We should get going," Link suggested. 

"We should," Sky agreed. 

As they continued forward, there was an uncomfortable silence between all of them. It was like each one of them wanted to say something important, but couldn't find the right words. 

Link couldn't stop thinking about how Cassian reacted when he brought up Sky and Rinku, _What did he mean when he said I was his replacement? _Link wished he understood, _Guess I'm not the only one with secrets._

Rinku couldn't stop thinking about how he would tell Link that he and his brother were both Hytopia's heroes, _Hytopia's failed heroes, _he reminded himself. 

Sky wondered if Rinku would even commit to telling the truth. As the minutes passed by, the tension only grew. Sky decided to break the silence and try to make things easier for everyone, "Does Hyrule have heroes?" he asked Link. 

Link felt his face pale and his hands begin to shake. 

"I mean, I've only heard legends about Hyrule's heroes. I'm not sure how true those are," Sky clarified, clearly not noticing how Link looked like he was about to pass out. 

"Well," Link began, he tried to steady his voice, "I don't know how accurate those legends are but, I think they're true."

"Really?" Sky said curiously. 

"Well, what have you heard about Hyrule's...heroes?" Link asked. He tried to hide the nervousness in his voice.

"Not much," Rinku joined the discussion, he seemed more at ease than before, "All we've heard is that one randomly appears and is blessed by the goddesses."

_"Blessed by the goddesses?" _Link thought to himself, _I wish. _

"And," Rinku continued, "Hyrule's hero wields a sacred sword. I forgot what it was called though. And-"

"The Master Sword," Link interrupted, "It's called the Master Sword," he said, he could feel a lump forming in his throat. 

"That's interesting name," Rinku commented, "I think the hero is also supposed to have one or all three pieces of the Triforce. The stories are really unclear."

"Yeah, doesn't the hero have magic powers or something?" Sky smirked. He sounded like he was half-joking. 

Link couldn't stand how uncomfortable he felt with this discussion but, he pushed that feeling down, "The Hero of Legend didn't have a single piece of the Triforce when he went up against Ganon," he said the name of Hyrule's worst enemy with such vitriol, it was like poison was spilling from his lips, "There are stories of heroes before the Hero of Legend but, their tales have been mostly lost to time," _How pathetic must I be to barely be able to defeat Yuga with one piece of the Triforce when the Hero of Legend conquered Ganon alone?_

"Ganon?" Rinku asked, "Who's that? He doesn't sound good."

Link despised that name far more ever since he had to fight that beast, "Ganon is a demon, specifically the King of Demons. He's the worst of them all. Some people call him the King of Thieves or the Prince of Darkness but, those are older titles. People don't usually use them these days."

Sky and Rinku looked very eager to hear more.

Link continued, "Ganon laid waste to Hyrule. He had the power of the entire Triforce at his disposal," Link's tone was dark, "Ganon went unchallenged until seven sages eventually sealed him away. That seal held for hundreds of years until one of his followers kidnapped the descendants of those sages and the princess of Hyrule," Link paused and pushed away the bad memories that were resurfacing, "Ganon was free once more, and he had access to the entire Triforce."

"By Hylia, that sounds terrible," Rinku said quietly.

"However, Ganon did not go unchallenged this time," Link remembered the series of paintings he saw in Hyrule Castle, "The Hero of Legend appeared out of seemingly nowhere. He saved all of the kidnapped maidens and the princess. He defeated Ganon. After gaining the power of the entire Triforce, he wished for everything go back to normal and for all the damage Ganon had done to be undone," Link remembered all of the times he was told stories of the Hero of Legend as a child. He could help but feel nostalgic as he told them to someone else. 

"Wow," Sky sounded fascinated, "That's quite a history."

"The hero defeated Ganon even when he had the full Triforce?" Rinku sounded amazed. 

"He did," Link said, _I wish I was strong enough to protect everyone like that. _

"Ganon is dead, he can't come back, right?" Sky asked nervously. 

"Oh, he may have died but that wasn't enough to stop him," Link lamented, "He came back from the dead and had to be dealt with again."

"Wait," Sky interupted, "he can do that?! I don't know if I believe it..."

"Well you should," Link said blunty, "I lived through one Ganon's attempts to take over Hyrule."

Sky and Rinku seemed to be at a loss for words. 

"It was about two years ago," Link added on.

"Did another hero appear?" Rinku asked curiously.

"Yes, the Hero of Worlds, at least that's what Princess Zelda called him," Link could feel the bitterness seeping into his voice. _Stop acting selfish, _he chastised himself, _You should be thankful_. 

"Did you ever meet him?" Sky asked.

"I...did meet him," _I technically have to deal with him everyday._

"I never thought those stories were true," Rinku said, he sounded excited, "That's incredible!"

"The Triforce is both a blessing and a curse," Link said cynically.

"Speaking about the Triforce," Rinku overlooked what Link had said, "Does the current hero have the entire thing?"

"Hyrule's current hero has one piece of the Triforce," Link hesitantly told them. He could feel his left hand burning as he said that. He'd almost been killed because he possessed the Triforce of Courage. He clenched his left hand into a tight fist. He felt his heart pounding in his chest.

"I wonder if we'll meet him in Hyrule," Sky thought out loud. 

Link chuckled darkly, "Who knows?" he said in a shaky voice. 

Another period of uncomfortable silence followed. The group continued moving forward. Their footsteps echoed throughout the tunnel. 

This time Rinku was the one to break the silence, "So you're Hytopia's newest hero, right?"

"I mean, I guess am," Link knew there was no point in hiding that. He had told them he defeated the witch who cursed the princess. That and they had watched him fight his way through several areas in the Drablands. 

"Have you heard about Hytopia's other heroes?" Rinku asked nervously. He wrung his hands and looked down. 

"I didn't know Hytopia had other heroes," Link was rather curious to learn more about them, "Are they like Hyrule's heroes?"

"Sort of," Sky answered, "Hytopia's heroes are a bit less...impressive by Hyrulean standards."

"They usually handle regional problems," Rinku clarified, "not kingdom wide problems, though, I guess you're the exception," Rinku said awkwardly. 

"Regional problems are still important to fix," Link didn't like where this was going. 

Sky spoke up, "What we're trying to say is-" 

"Look at that!" Rinku interrupted him, "The exit! It's right there!" Rinku shouted excitedly. He ran to the door, it was in close view.

"That's great!" Link smiled and ran after him. 

"Hey!" Sky shouted, he was annoying at being interrupted, "Wait for me!" he ran after Link. 

The door was clearly old. It was a wooden hatch made of a dark colored wood that blended in with the dirt and rocks on the ground. There were small holes in it that let sunlight inside the otherwise artificially lit tunnel. By the looks of it, the sun was about to set. 

"I can't believe it," Rinku sounded happy. He could keep a smile from creeping onto his face, "This is it," his hand moved to open the hatch. 

"Wait," Sky stopped him, "Don't you have something important to say first?"

Rinku froze in place. 

"What do you mean?" Link asked. He sounded concerned. 

Rinku sighed and turned back to face Link, "It means we haven't been completely honest with you," each word seemed to be a struggle, "It's mostly my fault, to be fair," he couldn't bear to look Link directly in the eye. 

"I don't understand," Link wished Rinku would stop being cryptic. He hated how much this reminded him of Hilda's betrayal. 

"We were turned into doppels for a reason," Sky explain, "No one gets trapped for half a century for no reason."

Link stayed silent. He could tell neither of them felt very comfortable speaking, "If you don't want to-"

"No, you deserve to know," Rinku didn't let him finish. He paused, "I'm not really sure how to say this..."

"Just say it already," Sky encouraged him, "It's like pulled out a splinter," he was much less nervous than Rinku. 

"We - we used to be in your place," Rinku stammered. 

Link didn't understand what Rinku was trying to say, "I don't get it," Link said carefully. 

"What I'm trying to say is," Rinku took a deep breath, "we are Hytopia's previous heroes. I'm sorry we never told you."

The tunnel became deathly quiet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a fun fact I really want to share. The name "Cassian" means "hollow, void, or robbed" depending on what source/translation you use. Do what you will with that information.


	11. Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky and Rinku have a lot of explaing to do. Link decides to tell them about his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Since Christmas Day is in about a week when I'm posting this, I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season! Anyway, thanks for reading and enjoy the chapter!

The silence after Rinku had spoke was suffocating.

Link didn't know how to respond to what he had just heard, _They're Hytopia's old heroes? _He clutched his left hand, _We're more alike than I thought we were, _he wondered how they felt about him being their successor. He thought that they probably just saw him as some random kid from a different kingdom who possessed them. Link couldn't help but wonder if they started being put under more pressure after people began to see them as heroes. 

Rinku looked paler than ever. He stumbled over his words, "I know you're probably upset and I'll try to explain everything."

"Upset?" Link raised his eyebrows, "Why would I be upset?" _They thought I would be upset? _Link felt bad for making them feel like he'd respond negatively. All this time he had thought they were the ones that would respond negatively to him. 

"You aren't mad?" Rinku asked cautiously. 

"Of course not," Link answered honestly, "You did what you had to," he understood that, sometimes, people had to make difficult choices for the greater good. They need to sacrifice a part of themselves in order to do what must be done. 

"Oh," Rinku breathed a large sigh of relief. 

"I told you he wouldn't overreact," Sky scoffed. 

"I can understand why you didn't want to tell me," Link had a comforting tone, "You don't need to tell me anything you don't want to," Link felt that he couldn't blame them for keeping secrets when he had plenty of his own. 

"Well, I worried over nothing," Rinku mumbled, he looked much less restless. He collected himself, "I - we - still have some explaining to do."

It was clear Link didn't know much about his teammates pasts and he - for the most part - was fine with that. Link stayed quiet. He wondered what Rinku would say next. 

"Around fifty - well probably more like forty-eight - years ago," Rinku began to explain, "Sky and I started training to be royal guards. A couple of months later, we heard about a beast terrorizing the countryside and making its way towards Castle Town. It wasn't considered a big threat by the former king since it was only terrorizing one area at the time. He let the soldiers in that area try to take care of it."

Sky took over the explanation from Rinku, "We decided to do something about it. If the soldiers in that area couldn't do their jobs, then we would. We fought that beast and won, obviously, and got hailed as heroes. We started to get more intense training so we could help defend Hytopia from future threats. I guess the king thought it would be a good idea to have us on his side. I think he might have said something about the 'Spirit of the Hero', whatever that means," Sky informed Link.

Link tightened his grip on his left hand, _The "Spirit of the Hero"? That's a Hyrulean concept. If Sky or Rinku would have been in my place, would they have been chosen to wield the Triforce of Courage? Would their piece of the Triforce be split in two? Would they have two pieces of the Triforce instead of one? How is it possible they both have the Spirit of the Hero? Do they even actually have it? Is it split between the two of them? If I'm here, does that mean the Spirit of the Hero is split into three right now? _Link shook his head, he had to focus on what his teammates were saying now. There wasn't much point into worrying about questions he couldn't answer. 

"We were sent to the Drablands in order to defeat the hordes of monsters there," Rinku said, his voice trembled more than Sky's, "It wasn't that bad at first but, the monster gradually got stronger. The king took this as a sign that a great evil was coming to Hytopia. He took a bit of...inspiration, to say the least, from Hyrulean legends. He thought he could use the power of the Triforce to keep Hyoptia safe."

"But...Hytopia doesn't have access to the Triforce," Link was curious to how the following events would play out. He had a feeling it would only go downhill from here.

"That was the problem," Sky said, confirming Link's observation, "Unless the king wanted to invade Hyrule, he wasn't going to get anywhere near the Triforce. He tried to channel the power of the Triforce by building monuments. You've already seen most of them."

"The Triforce gateways?" Link guessed.

"Exactly," Sky said, he had a very neutral tone, like he was trying to appear unbothered, "and that temple we were in earlier."

"Don't forget," Rinku reminded Sky, "he's also responsible for this tunnel." 

"Did any of the monuments actually work?" Link asked. He didn't think it was possible to use the power of the Triforce without having it. 

"Sort of," Sky said, his voice full of uncertainty. 

"The king tried to get the royal wizard to enhance the power of these monuments," Rinku looked away from Link and Sky, "This wizard was able to use his magic to link all of the Triforce gateways to the palace, it made traveling around the Drablands much easier," he admitted.

"But I'll be damned if any of it got us anywhere closer to using the power of the Triforce," Sky added, his tone was much harsher. He crossed his arms, "You'd think anyone with half a brain would send someone to Hyrule to do actual research on the Triforce, but no! Ignore my suggestion. Let's keep guessing and using magic we have no guarantee will work!" Sky voice was saturated with annoyance and bitterness.

"That sounds...frustrating," Link said. He understood where they were coming from. 

"You don't even know the half of it!" Sky went on complaining, "We were surrounded by idiots." 

"As I was saying," Rinku took back control of the conversation, "you've probably already guessed that the power of the Triforce stayed in Hyrule. So the king-"

"In his infinite wisdom," Sky muttered sarcastically. 

"Decided to research...alternatives forms of magic," Rinku looked like he struggled to get the words out, "He had the royal wizard try different methods, to say the least." 

Link thought back to Yuga, he presented himself as a powerful magic user. He manipulated Hilda by using her fears and hopes against her. _Did something similar happen here?_, "Dark magic," Link shook his head, "It may be useful in the moment, it only causes more problems in the long run," Link wondered how desperate the king had to be to resort to dark magic of all things.

"That's what I tried to tell him," Sky pointed out. His voice was full of resentment, "That idiot thought it would be a great idea to let that crazy wizard do his own thing."

"That's definitely not a good sign," Link thought back to Yuga again.

"He thought that we weren't enough to protect Hytopia," Rinku added. He sounded disappointed in himself, "He managed to convince the king too."

"That and a few dark spells gone wrong and we got imprisoned for the crime of existing," Sky blurted, no one could stop him from complaining, "This moron actually thought that several spells - that were all clearly dark magic - went wrong because we weren't enough or some crap. He genuinely thought the fact we got 'corrupted'," Sky said the word mockingly, "was our own fault. As if the dark magic had absolutely nothing to do with it," Sky laughed bitterly, "We weren't even corrupted to begin with. That fu-"

Rinku cut him off, "We didn't get corrupted by anything, I swear," he quickly insisted to Link, "That wizard thought that if one...act against nature went wrong it would spread to us," he sounded distressed just thinking about the topic at hand, "So..." his voice trailed off. 

The silence that followed made all of them uncomfortable. 

"So," Link continued carefully. He minded his tone as to not sound too harsh, "you got sealed away."

"Pretty much," Sky confirmed, "And the worst part is that the damn wizard still works for the royal family," his tone was scathing. 

Link really hated all the conclusions he was jumping to. The fact he'd had to possess the husks of others through the use of forbidden magic sent shivers down his spine. The thought of what this could mean about Cassian bothered him. He pushed those thoughts back, _This isn't the right moment, _"Well, I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me all that," Link meant it. He doubted he could explain himself as easily. 

"Now you have an idea of what to expect," Sky said, "We can properly plan now," he sounded relived. 

Link thought back to Cassian's plan, _We can definitely not start planning yet._ He felt conflicted about telling them about Cassian. It would be extremely difficult to get Cassian out of the castle without Sky or Rinku finding out. The trip back to Hyrule wasn't a short one either, Link was doomed to get caught if he tried to take an extra person with him, _Maybe it's best they find out about this now rather than later. _He could feel this stomach drop when he thought about bringing up Cassian. 

Sky and Rinku had already starting talking about a plan, not noticing the internal debate Link was having with himself. 

Link thought about being in their place. Surely, if someone claimed to know him from fifty years ago he'd want to know. Wouldn't he? Cassian had said not to get caught by the royal wizard, but he said nothing about telling Sky or Rinku. Link took a deep breathe, _This won't be easy, _he felt his stomach churn, "We still need to talk," Link said out of nowhere. 

"What do you mean?" Rinku asked, "I mean, we still need to come up with a plan. We're just doing that."

"Were you even listening?" Sky asked. He sounded a bit annoyed and crossed his arms. 

_Just get this over with, _Link told himself, _It's like taking out a splinter. It's better to go through a brief moment of pain than leave it in and keep suffering, _"Did any of you ever have strange dreams?" Link asked. 

"No," Rinku hesitated. He thought that was an odd question to ask at a time like this, "Why?" 

"I know this sounds strange, but hear me out," Link worded his next sentences carefully, "Right before Ganon appeared in Hyrule a few years ago, I had a strange dream where a giant pig-like beast was causing chaos. The beast in my dream was Ganon."

"What are you getting at?" Sky asked, he sounded slight wary.

"Let me finish," Link responded, "It just so happens that the princess of Hyrule was having similar dreams. We both dreamed about Ganon returning before it happened. I actually got the chance to ask her about it," Link explained, "She said prophetic dreams are...common in certain people before times of crisis."

"Does have to do with your nightmare from earlier today?" Rinku asked, "Or how you weren't waking up?" 

"Yes," Link answered hesitantly, "In my first dream today, Hytopia's Castle Town was in ruins. There was also a large beast roaming through the city." 

"And what did this beast look like?" Sky asked. 

Link described the beast in as much detail as he could. He remembered how abominable it was. Rinku and Sky's faces paled significantly when Link explained how it's body was a patchwork of purple and green. 

"That's...interesting," Rinku laughed nervously, trying to act like this didn't bother him.

"What about your other dream?" Sky asked impatiently. 

Link wasn't sure how to explain this, "I don't know how well you'll take this news," he could feel his voice failing him, he cleared his throat, "Are you secretly triplets?" Link was pretty sure Rinku was ready to throw up judging by how well he took the news. He noticed that Sky was as pale as a ghost. 

"I - well, I assume you know who Cassian is then?" Link asked. He was relived to have finally gotten what he wanted to say out. 

"How the hell do you know who that is?" Sky choked out, "If this is some kind of joke I swear to Din-"

"No! I'm not joking," _This reminds me of how Cassian reacted__, _"He mentioned you. Well, he mentioned both of you," Link admitted. 

"What did he say?" Rinku's voice quivered. 

"He thought I was his replacement," Link ignored how his teammates somehow started to look even more uncomfortable. He had to get through his explanation, "I have no idea what that means. He wants to get his freedom back and he came up with a plan. To be fair, we didn't have a lot of time to discuss," Link did his best to sound calm and collected. He rubbed the back of his head, "I wanted to ask you about him. He looked just like you - well, he looked just like us."

"He's still sentient!?" Sky voice was full alarm, "Oh Hylia, that's not good," he shook his head. 

Link only had more questions, "Why would being sentient be a bad thing?" 

"Don't you get it?" Rinku said desperately, "He's been trapped for as long - probably a bit longer - than us!" he mainly directed his words at Sky. 

"That shouldn't be possible," Sky said to Rinku in a hushed tone. He turned back to Link, "You said he appeared to you?"

"Well, yes," Link explained, "At first he avoided me, but I offered to help him if he needed it. That seemed to make him more comfortable," Link paused for a moment to organize his thoughts, "After I offered my help, he told me what he wanted and his plan."

Sky looked baffled, "You offered him help? Before he even told you want he wanted!" his arms dropped to his side and he clenched both of his fists tightly, "I can't believe you! You did even know what he wanted!" he approached Link, "You are so - so irresponsible!"

"I just had a feeling that he was trustworthy!" Link tried to explain. He backed away as Sky kept getting closer. 

"That's even worse! You trusted someone you didn't know just because of a feeling!" Sky looked ready to deck Link. 

"I trusted you because of a feeling," Link pointed out, "Besides if someone needs help, I want to-"

"Stop trying to play the hero! Not everything is your business!" Sky shouted furiously, his voice echoed through the tunnel. 

"I know its none of my business," Link agreed, his own voice grew louder, "but I can't just leave someone to rot."

Sky faced kept getting redder, "Well maybe-"

"Both of you, stop it!" Rinku blurted. Tears had already started to stream down his face, "Are we seriously going to fight now? When we're so close to getting out of here?" his voice trembled, "You should know better than this, Sky."

Sky kept his mouth shut and fumed in silence. 

"What was Cas' - Cassian's plan?" Rinku sniffled. 

"It was pretty simple," Link explained, "First, I'd get his doppel and get it to a safe place. Then, I'd break into Hytopia Castle-"

"But we're only on the second step..." Rinku muttered. 

"And I'd steal the royal wizard's staff," Link continued, "After that, he told me to try and break the spell...even though I don't know how to use a staff. I tried to tell him that, but he said he would take his chances." 

Sky buried his face into hands, "Hylia, I forgot how reckless he could be," he mumbled. 

"You aren't going to try to break into the castle, are you?" Rinku asked nervously.

"Well..." Link didn't want to disappoint Cassian, but he didn't want to worry his teammates either. 

Sky sighed, "You were going to try something, weren't you?" he turned back to face Link, "And here I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

"I'll agree, that was a reckless plan," Link apologized, _At least it was less reckless than the time I nearly fell off the Tower of Hera. _Link had made several poor choices while exploring through dungeons that had almost cost him his life. 

"I know you just want to help," Rinku said apologetically, "but there are some things that should be left alone."

"What are you suggesting?" Link asked. 

Rinku didn't respond and lowered his gaze.

"He's suggesting that we keep moving forward," Sky answered.

"But that means Cassian stays trapped," Link pointed out. 

"That's the point," Sky said, keeping his voice level. 

Link was appalled, "Why?" _This doesn't make any sense._

"First of all," Sky began, "you are not breaking into the castle. It is way to dangerous for you to get caught stealing anything from someone who's good at using dark magic. You _never_ want to tangle with someone who can use dark magic. That would be reckless," Sky explained to Link, "I would like to think you know better than to do something like that."

Link remembered the time he charged at Yuga, even though he barely knew how to use a sword. He ran right into the wall and knocked himself out, _Unfortunately for you, I am very good at making reckless choices and I, apparently, do not know better, _Link thought to himself. He was pretty sure if he did half of the reckless things in did on this first adventure, he'd give both Rinku and Sky a heart attack every time he went to the Drablands. 

"And this just isn't your problem," Sky said. He clearly sounded upset, "You said we don't have to explain everything, so I'll pass. Cassian stays where he is," Sky sounded like this would be the end of the conversation. 

Link didn't want Cassian to be left behind. He knew what it was like to be trapped. The first time Yuga turned him into a painting was terrifying. Link felt like he was suffocating and frozen in place. If it hadn't been for Ravio's bracelet, he'd still be on that wall. He couldn't bare to make someone else feel that way, much less let them keep feeling that way, "But how can you-"

"We're done talking about this," Sky's tone was harsh, but his words were harsher, "It's not your concern right now."

"But-"

"This conversation is over and that's final!" Sky shouted. 

"It's not even close to over!" Link blurted. 

Sky flinched. He was shocked to see Link raise his voice. 

"Stop yelling!" Rinku yelled, "If we can't decide on anything, then we'll just keep arguing. I think we should get out of this tunnel first," his voice was still trembling, "Besides, we need supplies anyway."

"Fine," Sky snapped. 

"I'll get some supplies for us," Link said, he felt like Rinku was just trying to postpone a discussion that needed to happen. 

"We should eat before we start planning," Rinku suggested, "...I'm also really hungry," Rinku said more quietly. 

Link chuckled, "Some food would be nice."

"Yeah, it would," Sky admitted. He still had traces of bitterness in his voice. 

"Then let's finally get out of here," Rinku said triumphantly. He brightened up significantly. He stood in front of the door that would lead to their freedom. He grabbed the handle of the door and threw it open. 


End file.
